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Consider these cases while you wait for your new Samsung Galaxy S8 to arrive

I have to wait till 5/9 before I can pre-order the unlocked versions of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+. But if you have already pre-ordered one of Samsung’s newest flagship phones from your favorite wireless carrier, you might want to consider also ordering a case for it. When I checked out these new phones at my local Best Buy last week, I was a little put off by how smeary the back of the phone gets. So I’ll definitely want to cover it up and add some extra grip. Here are just a few options to choose from.

The image above shows a selection of S8 and S8+ cases from Urban Armor Gear (UAG).

UAG has announced four lines of MIL-SPEC drop-tested protective cases that are rugged but lightweight. These cases offer 2, 4 and even 5 layers of protection if you go with their Monarch cases which are made of top-grain leather, a polycarbonate shear plate, armor shell, alloy metal hardware, and impact-resistant rubber and feature 2X Drop-Protection and a 10-year warranty.

UAG’s Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ cases are priced from $34.95 – $59.95. Visit urbanarmorgear.com for more info. You can also check Urban Armor Gear’s store on Amazon.

The Q Card Case from CM4 will protect your shiny new phone and allow it to function as your wallet too. If you’re like me and find that you’re very rarely using cash, a wallet built into your phone case sounds like a great idea. It’s just one less thing in your pocket. Especially if you only need to carry a couple cards.

The case is constructed of soft-touch rubber and premium fabric. The wallet section can hold up to 3 cards and some cash and even has an integrated kickstand with two positions.

The CM4 Q Card case for Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus is available in Black Onyx for $24.99 at Amazon and CM4.

Another case to consider for your new Samsung Galaxy S8 or S8+ is the Base Grip Case from Silk Innovation. The Base Grip Case provides grip and protection from scratches and bumps in a slim form factor and at an affordable price of only $11.99. You can buy it in either Black Onyx or Blue Jade from Amazon.

X-Doria is offering a collection of three stylish cases that not only protect but look great while doing it.

The Defense Lux is a one-piece, snap-on case with a soft inner rubber layer, impact resistant polycarbonate backing, and machined with an aluminum outer frame. An additional back panel is added in either Black Carbon Fiber, Black Leather, or Rosewood.

The X-Doria Defense Shield series combines polycarbonate, soft rubber and anodized aluminum to provide military-level drop protection that has been tested to survive 10-foot drops on concrete. The screen is protected from surface scratches by a raised lip. This case has a simple, one-piece design that requires no tools for assembly.

The Defense Clear is a see-through case with triple layer shock protection while staying slim and light. The protective case will be available in colors including Black & White.

X-Doria cases for the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ are priced from $24.99 to $39.99. You can read more about them or order through XDorialife.com and Amazon.

VRS Design has a staggering 14 different cases that they are offering for the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ phones that include bumper style, wallet style, rugged and more.

The High Pro Shield style shown above is one of VRS Designs new cases that is available in 5 colors and features drop protection in a slim, reinforced body.

The VRS Design cases are priced between $19.99 and $69.99 and are available for pre-order from vrsdesign.com.

Will you be using a case with your S8 or S8+? If so, which one have you picked?

Filed in categories: Cases and Covers, News

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Consider these cases while you wait for your new Samsung Galaxy S8 to arrive originally appeared on on April 4, 2017 at 8:31 am.

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Traeger wants to make you a ‘smarter’ griller this summer with their new Timberline grills

The weather is warming up and that means sun, fun and grilling season. This year Traeger wants to make your grilling and smoking even easier. With their new Timberline 850 and 1300 model grills they’re introducing WiFIRE control. With WiFIRE you can control your Timberline grill from your phone. So you can adjust your grill from the couch, or across town using the Traeger App. It lets you kick up the smoke, set timers and change the temperature. A great feature if you’re busy doing some inside cooking while also grilling outside at the same time.

The Timberline grill comes in two models, the 850 and 1300. Each model number designates the amount of grilling area in square inches. So for example, the 850 model gives you 850 square inches of grilling area. Price wise the Timberline grills aren’t cheap, $1699.99 and $1999.99 for the 850 and 1300 models respectively. But, if you really love to grill and want to be the envy of your neighbors this summer, then check out the Timberline grills from Traeger.

For more information or to purchase one head over to Traegergrills.com. Happy grilling!

Filed in categories: Home and Kitchen, News, Outdoor Gear

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Traeger wants to make you a ‘smarter’ griller this summer with their new Timberline grills originally appeared on on April 3, 2017 at 9:00 am.

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Burn that old fanny pack and get a HipS-sister waist band gear holder

Remember fanny packs (Sorry Aussie visitors)? I had one… I think it’s still up in the closet that houses my gear bag collection. Fanny packs were very convenient because they let you carry your everyday essentials without burdening your hands, pockets or shoulders with bag straps. Sadly, they went out of style about the same time as the mullet and parachute pants. But as products tend to do, what was old becomes new again. This time it’s the HipS-sister.

What is it? The HipS-sister is a modern and more stylish version of the fanny pack. It’s a 5-inch wide waist band gear “bag” designed to hold small items when you’re out and about.

The HipS-sister has a top loading secret pocket sized perfectly for your phone. It also has both a front and a back zippered 5-inch pocket for all your other small personal items.

Available in a huge variety of colors and patterns, and are priced starting at around $17. You can find more info at hipssister.com and Amazon.

Filed in categories: Bags, News

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Burn that old fanny pack and get a HipS-sister waist band gear holder originally appeared on on April 3, 2017 at 7:00 am.

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Guitar tuners, a purse that can hold your fave beverage, video door bells, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns

Today I have a selection of Kickstarter and Indiegogo projects for you to read about. Click through to see my list of this week’s notable crowdfunding campaigns.

Roadie 2 and Roadie Bass Automatic Instrument Tuners

What is it?
Roadie 2 is a motorized guitar (and other stringed instruments like banjos, mandolins and ukuleles) tuner.

Why do I like it?
I like the Roadie 2 tuner because I’m lazy and it will do ALL the work to keep my strings tuned. All I need to do is hold it over the tuning gear and let it do its thing even in noisy environments.

If you use the Roadie 2 with the dedicated app, you can also use it to easily and quickly tune alternate tunings like Drop D tuning.

Where can I find more info?
With 33 days left in their campaign, The Roadie 2 campaign has already surpassed their funding goal of $50,000. You can pre-order a Roadie 2 starting at $89. After the Roadie 2 campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in October 2017. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

AquaPurse: The Water Bottle / Handbag Hybrid

What is it?
AquaPurse is a purse that doubles as a beverage bottle. Wait, what?

Why do I like it?
Do I actually like the AquaPurse? Ok sure… I guess. I mean I don’t hate it. It’s one of those goofy crowdfunding campaigns that I can’t help but smile at. But I suppose if your life long dream is to sling your favorite beverage and your wallet over your shoulder, then the AquaPurse appears to be the answer to that dream.

Where can I find more info?
With 24 days left in their campaign, The AquaPurse campaign has almost reached their funding goal of $7,628. You can pre-order the AquaPurse starting at $37. After the AquaPurse campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in July 2017. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

dbell live: Smartest Video Doorbell & Security Cam

What is it?
The dbell is a live video door bell that streams a live video feed to your smartphone when someone pushes the button.

Why do I like it?
The dbell features a 160° wide angle HD video camera, a mic and sensors that allow to function as both a video door bell and a security system that has motion sensors and night vision that will alert you when someone comes to the door before they even press the button. All with no monthly fees.

Where can I find more info?
With 1 days left in their campaign, The dbell campaign has already reached their funding goal of $10,000. You can pre-order the dbell starting at $129. After the dbell campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in May 2017. Visit their Indiegogo page for all the details.

Cora Ball – Microfiber Catching Laundry Ball

What is it?
Cora Ball is a recycled plastic ball that has been designed to catch all the microfibers from our clothes that are shed when they are being washed in the washer and ultimately end up in the ocean where fish eat them.

Why do I like it?
I don’t want to eat plastic and I don’t want fish eating plastic or the fibers to float around in the ocean, so I think this is an easy to use product that lets people reduce the amount of microfibers that end up in the ocean.

I didn’t even realize this was a problem until now.

Where can I find more info?
With 23 days left in their campaign, The Cora Ball campaign has already surpassed their funding goal of $10,000. You can pre-order a Cora Ball starting at $20. After the Cora Ball campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in July 2017. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

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Guitar tuners, a purse that can hold your fave beverage, video door bells, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns originally appeared on on April 2, 2017 at 4:21 pm.

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Lenovo Smart Assistant releases this May with integrated Amazon Alexa

The Amazon Echo costs $179.99.  Would you like the same functionality (and then some), but save $50?  Of course!  Introducing the Lenovo Smart Assistant, featuring Amazon Alexa.  This will be released by Lenovo in May 2017, at a cost of $129.99.  Don’t want a giant black tower in the middle of your room?  The Lenovo Smart Assistant comes in Light Gray, Green, and Orange.  It includes eight 360-degree far-field microphones with noise suppression and acoustic echo cancellation that can pick up speech from 16 feet away.  The device has a 5 watt tweeter and a 10 watt woofer.  Of course, you can use the Amazon Alexa app with the Lenovo device, and control the plethora of smart devices in your home with your voice. 

The device gets smarter the more you use it, and is fully customizable just like the Echo, with access to Alexa’s Skills library.  It works well with multiple users, too.  I can see this becoming a great device for fans of Lenovo products.  I’ve always liked Lenovo, because they make well-built machines.  Their laptops are solid, amazing works of art.  I haven’t had the pleasure of owning one of their desktop PC’s (I build my own custom PC’s), but their reputation on those is strong, too.  They even have a Smart Storage unit with 6TB of storage, that can be used to store music, videos, and photos, and is designed with strong security at the forefront.  But I digress.  The Lenovo Smart Assistant also touts 2GB of internal DRAM, 8GB of storage, and an Intel Celeron N3060 Processor.  I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these.  Smart and IoT devices are expected to be a $1.7 TRILLION per year business by 2020, according to “Igniting Growth in Consumer Technology,” Accenture, 2016, and Lenovo aims to be at the forefront of that growth.  Good things are coming, people!  Hopefully, the security of those items will outpace the growth of them.  But that’s another story.

The device also comes with the option of a special Infinity® edition for premium audio quality for music and home entertainment.  The Infinity® consists of upgraded Harmon-Kardon speakers (specs unavailable for those, at this time).  This upgrade prices out at $179.99, and will provide an extra 2″ sound cavity for a clearer tweeter and deeper bass.  But, it’s only available in Black.  *sigh*  …back to the imposing tower of darkness.

Get ready for the release of the standard Lenovo Smart Assistant in May of this year, for $129.99.  The upgraded version is expected to release in June, for $179.99.

You can find more information about this product at Lenovo.

 

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV, News

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Lenovo Smart Assistant releases this May with integrated Amazon Alexa originally appeared on on April 2, 2017 at 2:35 pm.

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