5 holiday gadget gift ideas for a dorm or small space

nimblstand

They say that all good things come in small packages and sometimes “small” are what we need especially if our loved ones live or work in a tight space. And whether it is in a dorm room, condo, and makeshift office or for simply sitting on your couch, here are five gadgets that make ideal gifts for this holiday season that just make sense. 

Nimblstand Instant Workstation 

The iPad has become so versatile that many people are replacing their notebooks with these Apple tablets. The reality is that one never knows when or where it’s going to be used, but fear not, there’s a Nimblstand for that!   All you need to do is slide in your Apple Wireless Keyboard horizontally through the form-fitted slot, drop in your iPad in either landscape or portrait mode and you have an instant ergonomic compact two-piece workstation to help you play more comfortably and work more productively, almost anywhere. Read more… at Canoe Tech Blog.

BlueDriver deciphers your “Check Engine” light

Product Lemur

You’re driving through Banff to Fairmont Hot Springs and the dreaded Check Engine light illuminates on your car’s dashboard. Expletives come out from your mouth, followed by the onset of panic and you assume the worst. Besides the time and probably $100 or so excluding repair costs to find out what the problem might be, it also dawns on you that you and your family, just might have to spend the better part of your holiday with your new best friend – the tow-truck driver. So it’s great to know that there’s a product like BlueDriver by Lemur Vehicle Monitors touted as “Professional diagnostics for everyone”.  Now it won’t fix the problem, but it might just give you the information you need to give you peace of mind and possibly save you from unscrupulous mechanics.

More specifically, BlueDriver is an advanced diagnostic scan tool – similar to those used at car dealerships and vehicle repair outlets to troubleshoot and diagnose car trouble and demystify the dreaded Check Engine light. Read more… AT CANOE TECH BLOG.

Plugs in to OBD-II Port

It plugs into a socket or OBD-II port, typically located under your driver’s console. It pairs wirelessly via Bluetooth and can scan and send codes right to your iOS or Android device using the free Scan Tool App. Even better, assuming you have cell coverage or Wi-Fi and it’s not Sunday at 3AM, you can share real time data, captured while you’re driving with your favourite mechanic back home even in another time zone. The good news is, that he or she doesn’t even need to know exactly when it happened, thanks to its Freeze Frame feature, a snapshot of car’s data at the moment the Check Engine light came on – so there’s no guessing on your part.

In addition to Freeze Frame, the main menu gives you eight other options, including the ability to enter your car’s VIN number of giving the system a better idea as to what it’s dealing with. Optionally you can simply manually select the year and model of your car.

The main feature of course is to read DTC’s (Diagnostic Trouble Codes) that generate a check engine light. Sadly, for testing purposes I was not able to generate one on my car – but maybe that’s a good thing for my car.

You also have an option to clear those codes although some manufacturers may have proprietary system that doesn’t allow you to do so. You can also perform a smog readiness check, if it’s compatible with your car, which can perform a number of checks on your vehicle to see whether or not it would pass the smog test – which is required in some provinces. The test provides a list of about 20 functions, which include common monitors like engine misfire, spark engine monitors like a catalyst check and your evaporative system; compression engine monitors like your boost pressure system, just to name a few.

Blue Driver can also read and clear ABS trouble codes for domestic vehicles but are typically limited to Chrysler, Ford and GM vehicles. If you have a vehicle like a Honda or a Toyota, you’re likely out of luck. According to Lemur founder and CEO Maurice Tuff the ABS feature likely won’t work because those manufacturers have custom ways of implementing that feature.

The MIL status function keeps track of some of the statistics since the check engine light went on. This includes things like how it’s been on, how far have you’ve since driven and how long it’s been since the engine was started. It can also track distance and time since the check engine code was last cleared. It’s important to note that Blue Driver may not be able to reset codes on some vehicles since some manufacturers have their own proprietary technology that may not allow it.  There’s also a flashlight that basically turns your screen white, creating some illumination. For mechanics and advanced techies there are also advanced test results for on-board diagnostic reporting called Mode 6,which admittedly is not something in my area of expertise.

The Repair Reports are probably one of the most useful features Blue Driver can provide. It can decipher the codes (manufacturer and generic) and suggest a list of possible causes – since sometimes a symptom may not be able to pinpoint a specific cause. It searches a database of over 4.5 million entries, which offers the top reported fixes based on the given code, the most frequently reported fixes plus additional reported fixes. This can help you and/or your mechanic narrowed down possible scenarios based on what others have encountered.

LIVE MENU – real-time data

The second menu is a Live menu. When connected to Blue Driver it offers real time data as to what’s really going on under the hood. You can pick and choose which ones you want to see. You can look at those that are supported as not all vehicles support all functions, you can look at those that are active or you can simply select them all. For many functions you can also customize the range of operation that you would like to look at. On the display you can see the data logging in real time. Rev up your engine and you can see the RPM change right in front of you. Turn your device into landscape mode and you can watch multi-data interactive waveform graphing happening in real time in a sliding window – like watching an oscilloscope.

Alternately, you can select a single function disputed as a gauge. You can then print the information, save the information (in .csv format), put it in a DropBox and even share it on Twitter, Facebook or via email.

The More menu, offers a number of options, including a User Manual. Instead of lots of text you have access to a series of short YouTube videos. You can also buy a Blue Driver right from the app (as you can manually input your VIN and trouble code if you know what they are and use the app for free), update your sensor’s firmware as well as select whether or not you wish to use metric or imperial measurements.

Lemur Vehicle Monitors makes it easy for tech support, allowing you nine different ways to connect, including via toll-free phone number, email, a number of social media methods and even a live chat right through the app.

Some features will require an Internet connection.

Compatibility

Vehicle manufactures typically design their cars to CanBus standards and Blue Driver was designed to conform to those standards. So in theory, BlueDriver should work for most foreign and domestic cars and light trucks sold (but not necessarily built) in North America, since 1996. You can look up your vehicle on Lemur’s homepage to check compatibility. Chances are that the newer the car the more advanced the technology is in it making more useful data available to the app. In fact I tested Blue Driver with both 1997 and 2006 3-series BMW with an iPhone, iPod touch and iPad Air.  It worked nicely with both, but as expected more features were supported in the later model car. (For the techies out there, Blue Driver supports all OBD-II protocols: ISO 15765-4 (CAN), ISO 9141-2, ISO 14230-4 (KWP2000) and SAE J1850 (VPW & PWM)).

Changes of note

For those of you who may have looked at this product in the past, you may have noted the price is now higher – and it is. The company decided to increase the price but include all features and tests and do away with the myriad of additional in-app purchases. They’ve recently added a new feature called PRO Tips. These are little tips that pop up as reminders. For example, when looking at live data in portrait mode, PRO tip will remind you to turn you device on its side for graphing.

Bottom Line

Whether you’re a techie or wannabe mechanic or someone who avoid technology like the plague and knowledge of cars is limited to putting gas in the tank – as long as you low how to operate a smartphone and an app, then you can use Blue Driver.  It has a simple interface but it still functions like a traditional scan tool with the ability to log the information, give you live feedback and, if needed, the send the data to your mechanic. Plus, the benefit of getting both authoritative and crowd-sourced information can help you better pinpoint your problem.

It’s valuable time-wise, since it can left plugged in while driving and freeze the data when the check engine light first went on instead of having to plug it in and guess what happened after the fact. Furthermore, having it integrated with an app is much more practical instead of having to read a one line display on a traditional scanner.

To be frank, this type of device is something that I would not have ever thought of, given I typically leave most work on my car to the experts, but for a small investment it will likely more than pay for itself the first time you need to use it. And like insurance, it’s something that could give you peace of mind.

The only thing I found amiss is its inability to scan, read and save the car’s VIN. You have to manually enter it each time and if you change vehicles, you need to do it again. It would also be nice if it could clear a number of the other idiotic lights that show up on your car’s dashboard – but I guess that would be asking way too much.

Blue Driver is manufactured offshore but it was conceived and designed in Canada, so you know it will also withstand our blistering cold winters. It retails for $99.99 and is available directly from Lemur or Amazon.   The app is free but requires an iOS device running 7.0 or Android running 4.0.

It makes for a great little stocking stuffer. In fact the company is offering free express shipping until December 19th, 2014, so you can hopefully get it in time to put under your tree.

RATING: 4.75 / 5

Select Photos Courtesy Lemur Vehicle Monitors.

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Greg Gazin is the Real Canadian Gadget Guy.

Follow me on Twitter @gadgetgreg or Empire Avenue (e)GADGET1.

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Evernote 6 for Mac update may cause notes to appear lost

evernote main

If you launched Evernote for Mac in the last day or so only to find that all your notes are missing, fear not, they are likely there but their titles have been changed to “Untitled”. And if you have an incredible number of notes like I do, you may not realize that they are still there.

Earlier this evening I received a notice from Evernote informing me that they’ve noticed that I’m using an older version of Evernote for Mac. They encouraged me to upgrade to the latest version because the one I was using contained a bug that affected a small number of users.
Read moreAT CANOE TECH BLOG…

Office Holiday video remix not your father’s Jingle Bells

klick santaLast year at this time, Toronto-based digital health agency Klick Health entertained us with their holiday video – Bring Your Pet to Work Day. This year, they’ve decided to come out with something a little more wild but more in tune with the yuletide festive season appropriately titled Epic Office Holiday Remix.

And to make sure the video really rocked, they called none other than You Tube sensation and fellow Canadian Andrew Huang, whose videos have been viewed over 25 million times, to produce the video. Huang is known for producing unconventional music videos, including covers of the Breaking Bad theme using meth lab equipment and 99 Red Balloons using, what else, red balloons. [Read more…]

Gadgets to look for during Black Friday Cyber Monday week and holiday buying season

CES 2014 - Photo - KX-PRW120_2

If you’re looking for that special gift for that special someone or perhaps yourself, why not take advantage of possible Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals many of which are going on for a week. Not only can you save a few bucks, you won’t be rushing like many of us on Christmas Eve trying to round up the last few items. While sale flyers and “apps for that”, can help you find the right price, here’s just a couple of ideas for gadgets I’d recommend you might want to check out and some of them are actually on sale right now.

Panasonic KX-PRW120 SmartPhone Connect Cordless Phone

People say with everyone going to mobile phones that cordless phones are a thing of the past. But the recently introduced Panasonic KX-PRW120W SmartPhone Connect Cordless Phone, which I had an opportunity to test-drive a few months back, not only gives you the best of both worlds it actually integrates them.

The phone is actually a Wi-Fi enabled device that works nicely with your wireless devices including tablets. So when a landline call comes in, for example, you can actually “transfer” your call to your mobile device that sitting on the network enabled with Panasonic’s Smartphone Connect app for iOS or Android. This will allow your son to seamlessly take a call on his iPad that you transfer to him. Even better, your landline is now freed up for other calls.    Read more… AT CANOE TECH BLOG

Tagsu new digital “wondertag” started as a joke

TagsuWhenever you go to a conference or convention, you usually get a badge or nametag at the registration desk. So how about an electronic one? Introducing Tagsu, the programmable pocket-sized digital #wondertag that offers a 32 character message on up to 42 different screens.

Tagsu originally started as a joke – something designed for friends and other developers but the Finland-based creators soon found out that there was actually a customer demand for it. Beyond just delivering information they also discovered it to be quite an attention grabber and conversation starter. Anyone who was wearing one seemed to be quickly approached by others (and that’s good for business). And with little effort, they quickly sold over 400 simply by word of mouth.

Currently, Tagsu is hand-made so of course the cost of production is really high, so they are looking at getting them mass-produced and thus just launched an Indiegogo campaign. The goal is to raise $20K US by Jan 4th 2015 to start mass production and fulfill orders they already have plus those orders generated by the campaign.  Read more… at CANOE TECH BLOG

iPad tablet stand for your backseat riders

RoadShow

A few weeks back, we reviewed the Airframe+, a practical gadget that allows you to easily mount your oversized smartphone at the front of your car, more specifically, on your vent’s grill. This week, we look at the Felix RoadShow, a tablet stand designed for the iPad and other tablets for your backseat riders.

There’s obviously no dashboard in the backseat area. However this clever gadget is designed to mount on the back of the front seat headrests.

More specifically, it clips to the headrest’s post allowing the placement of any iPad or compatible tablet including many of those with hard-shell cases to make it easier to watch your movies, play games, or whatever you like to do with your iPad without keeping it in hand. It’s durable and sturdy made from hard polycarbonate and silicone. It measures 1.5″ x 4.5″ x 8.5″ and weighs less than 200g. It’s quick to set up and get going and requires no tools. Read more… At Canoe Tech Blog

Holiday gadget highlights from LD Tech 2014

 

Sony TVLondon Drugs recently held their LD Tech 2014 conference event in Whistler B.C., where over 100 suppliers and vendors from a wide variety of areas showed off some much of their standard fare and also some of the new and exciting and cutting edge tech products that are being made available just in time for the holiday season. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to take it in and get some face time with some of the vendors and their products.  And while it’s impossible to cover all of them, I’ve selected an eclectic few that had left an impression on me.

Sony High Resolution Audio

Having been an audiophile since the days of vinyl and less excited about compressed audio, I was ecstatic to hear about Sony’s new high-resolution audio systems. While CD was supposed to be an improvement over analogue, it’s 16-bit/44.1kHz sampling rate seems rather frail compared to the more precise and detailed 24-bit/192kHz capabilities of high-def. These uber-cool playback devices piggyback on any device you have and can effectively reproduce the higher definition PCM Audio files including DSD (2.8MHz/5.6MHz) and FLAC. And using its proprietary DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) it can upscale even compressed digital files like mp3 and AAC by restoring the high range lost during the compression process getting about as close as you can to the original recording. The Sony Hi-Res USB DAC System – UDA1B retails for $699.99 at London Drugs.

Read more…AT CANOE TECH BLOG

Win a CANZ Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

Canz 808 Blue

At a quick glance, it looks like an eight ounce pop can, but there’s no pop or fizzing sound that will come from it. You will however, be able to listen to your favorite tunes with this nifty little and appropriately titled Canz Wireless Bluetooth Speaker by 808 Audio.

This diminutive speaker is  only 3 1/4 inches high and 2 1/2 inches wide yet offers rich sound in this sleek yet durable anodized aluminium case. It’s powered by a built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery that should give you up to six hours of your favorite tunes on a single charge. You can stream your audio wirelessly via its Bluetooth connection or optionally you can direct connect from your audio through its LINE-IN port.

808 Canz Wireless Bluetooth Speaker from 808 Audio, a division of Voxx International retails in Canada for $39.99 and comes with a micro USB charging cable and 3.5 mm AUX-in cable. It comes in four colours; black, blue, red and silver and works with any Bluetooth enabled computer, smartphone, tablet or music player that supports A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile). For wired connectivity, it works with any device with a standard 3.5 mm headphone output.

Read more…AT CANOE TECH BLOG

Satechi monitor stand has built-in smarts

Satechi F3

Having your monitor or notebook on a stand on your desktop is often handy, not only to add a little visual height to your peripherals, but also to give you some extra space on an often cluttered desktop for some of your other gadgets and accessories. Satechi has taken it one step further with their F3 Smart Monitor Stand; it helps clear the clutter and also helps you optimize your productivity.

The Satechi F3 Smart Monitor Stand has a built-in hub that features four side-by-side front facing USB 3.0 ports making it easy and convenient to plug in your peripherals, USB keys and high speed storage devices at data transfer rates of up to 5Gbps. Furthermore, to the right of the ports, are two colour coded 3.5mm extension ports; one for a microphone input and the other a headphone/external speaker port, so you don’t have to fuss about when needing to plug in.

Read more…AT CANOE TECH BLOG