Hands On — Page 14

808 Hex XL Bluetooth speaker features bottom firing subwoofer

August 20, 2014 by Greg Gazin · 1 Comment

It never ceases to amaze me as to how creative manufacturers can be when trying to differentiate a product from the thousands already available. This is particularly true right now with the Bluetooth wireless speaker market. There are so many out there, many of which I simply gloss over, but the 808 Hex XL Portable Bluetooth Speaker by Voxx International, did catch my attention.

Depending on your perspective, the Hex XL can either look like a miniature version of a speaker monitor that you’d find on stage at a concert or perhaps the latest fashion purse on display at a downtown boutique.

Since I rarely talk about purses, it must be closer to the former. The 808 Hex XL (SP920) is a Bluetooth wireless 2.1 stereo speaker featuring two mid-drivers and a mini down-firing subwoofer at the bottom. It’s adorned with a black mesh grill, with mini honeycomb shaped cutouts that you can see right through to the speakers. I suspect the origin of the name Hex comes from “hexagonal” and that fact that honeycombs have six sides. READ FULL REVIEW at CANOE TECH BLOG

Filed Under: accessories, Audio, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, Hands On, New Product, Review · Tagged With: 808, Audio, bluetooth, RCA

REVIEW: Dyson unveils Cinetic DC78 54 cyclone filterless bagless vacuum

August 14, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

James Dyson is about to make headlines once again. You’d probably be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn’t seen his famous face in a TV commercial, starting about 20 years ago, telling us how inefficient vacuums are because they lose suction because of this culprit – the ugly dirty dusty vacuum bag. And now there’s a new story.

Back in 1993, Dyson realized that bagged vacuums lost suction as the bag’s pores clogged even before it was full. So they did away with them by introducing cyclonic technology that spins the dirt right into a bin. The technology evolved over time but they realized that they were still losing suction – the blame now was put on the clogged filter that was still necessary to capture the dust. Fast forward two decades and the filter, which we hate to clean or change and is also a culprit in the war against suction loss, is now too going the way of the dodo bird.

No More Filters

Dyson is making this possible by the introduction of their next generation vacuum in North America that uses its newly patented Dyson Cinetic cyclone technology.

“Getting rid of bags solved the frustration of my vacuum losing suction. But washing filters – or worse – buying them, is still a nuisance. Dyson Cinetic cyclones are so efficient at separating microscopic particles that everything gets thrust into the bin, and you can forget about fussy filters,” says James Dyson.

Read more…and Full Review at CANOE Tech Blog

Filed Under: accessories, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, Hands On, New Product, Product review · Tagged With: Gadgets, home, product review

Seidio Innocell Plus Combo makes your hip “hip” once again

August 8, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

EDMONTON, AB, Aug 8, 2014/ Troy Media/ – The bigger smartphones get, the less likely we are to see people opting to wear them on their hips. And the need of the latest and greatest for even more power and bigger and extra batteries is another reason to simply sock them into your pocket or purse.

But sometimes (think if you’re working out in the field or up on a telephone pole), a phone on your hip still makes perfect sense.

The Seidio Innocell Plus Combo is a nifty little accessory for your iPhone 5 or iPhone 5S that acts as a case with a battery plus holster in an all-in-one combination.

The case is a snap-together sleek slim protector for your phone. It features Seidio’s signature soft-touch coating, that feels nice to handle while keeping your phone free from scratches, and doesn’t add too much excessive real estate to your phone. It has a built-in 2000mAh battery which, in effect, doubles your iPhone’s battery’s capacity, with an extra 25 per cent more to boot.

Your Innocell Plus case clips right into the perfectly matched felt-lined Innocell Plus Holster, which you then simply need to clip it right onto your belt. It allows quick access to your phone and swivels in seven different directions to accommodate almost any type of hip. The belt clip also has a lip on it to make it less likely that the phone will fall off your belt. READ FULL ARTICLE at TROY MEDIA

Filed Under: accessories, Apple, GadgetGreg, Hands On, Product review, Troy Media · Tagged With: accessories, iPhone

Review: iKlip Xpand, Xpand mini for tablet or smartphone

August 5, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

Back in May 2013, we reviewed iKlip 2 for iPad by IK Multimedia. It was a clever product back then, but the company has really taken it up a notch with its successors – the iKlip Xpand and iKlip Xpand mini, two all-new universal mic stands for smartphones and tablets.

The previous models were specific for an iPad model. The latest reincarnations are designed so regardless as to whether you have a 1st gen iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air or even an Android tablet, iKlip Xpand will fit all of those. The same holds true for your iPhone 4S, 5S, iPod touch, or Android smartphone – iKlip Xpand mini is for that. The secret, well it’s not so secret, is the new expandable spring-loaded design that can stretch to accommodate the varying sizes of the devices.

Read more…At Canoe Tech Blog

Filed Under: accessories, Apps Alive, Audio, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, Hands On, In the news, New Product, Product review · Tagged With: accessories, Audio

Living Plug Inlet redefines electrical outlet

July 25, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

E 0 Inlet Before and After DMONTON, AB, Jul 25, 2014/ Troy Media/ – With all of the innovations in telephone communications, home entertainment and computers over the last 500 years, there’s one thing that hasn’t changed – the electrical outlet.Until now that is. Thanks to San Francisco-based Living Plug and its Inlet, the outlet will never be the same.

Now, we’re not talking about modifying or rewiring an existing outlet. That would require a major overhaul and a change to electric standards around the world.

Instead, the Inlet gives the outlet a simple but very useful makeover. It comes in the form of a 5” x 5” x 1 1/2′” square housing that fits over the outlet plate and plugs into an existing socket. It moves the two room-facing sockets to a safer location – the bottom of the Inlet, making it safer for children. (There’s also an additional safety screw that you could use to secure Inlet to the actual outlet so the kids can’t pull it out of the wall.) They’ve also added a third tamper-proof outlet, rotated 90 degrees, making it a triplex outlet.

READ FULL ARTICLE at Troy Media

Filed Under: accessories, GadgetGreg, Hands On, New Product, Product review, Review, Troy Media · Tagged With: electrical, power

Review: Divoom Voombox Travel – Wireless Portable Speaker

July 9, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

Summertime is a great time to take a portable Bluetooth speaker on the road and the Divoom Voombox Travel is suited just for that purpose. It has a cool round shape similar to that of a giant pocket watch topped with matching loop-style carabineer to conveniently hook it to your backpack, your bike or wherever you see fit.

VoomBox Travel features a sturdy rugged heavy-duty construction, that Divoom’s products are known for, complemented with rubber trim that makes it water resistant. It’s housed in a metal enclosure with speaker grills on both top and bottom with three discrete rubber strips on the underside that act as stabilizing feet.

It measures about 3″ in diameter with a depth of less than 2-inches and weighs in at 312g. It’s onboard controls are located on the rubberized circumference including a microUSB port which can be used for either charging or wired connectivity, which you can expose by simply lifting a small rubber gasket. READ FULL ARTICLE AT G4TV CANADA

Filed Under: accessories, Audio, G4 TechTV Canada, GadgetGreg, Hands On, New Product, Product review · Tagged With: Audio, Review, travel, wireless

Nokia Lumia 625 4G on a Tight Budget

July 8, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

EDMONTON, AB, Jul 8, 2014/ Troy Media/ – If you’re in the market for a budget 4G Windows smartphone without being tied down in a two-year contract, you’ll be surprised to find out that the Nokia Lumia 625 might just fit the bill. And the price is right; for only $200, you can have one with no strings attached.

It’s a recent model that’s only been available in Canada for a few months. The polycarbonate shell measures 133.2 x 72.2 x 9.2 mm and weighs 159 grams. It houses a 4.7” LCD display with a resolution of 480 x 800 at 201 ppi (pixels per inch), is powered by a respectable 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and comes with 8GB of internal memory, expandable to 64GB with a micro SD card. It houses two cameras: a 5MP megapixel rear camera with LED flash and delivers hi-def 1080p video at 30fps (frames per second) and a second camera that offers basic VGA resolution. It has 802.11n Wi-Fi and comes with a hefty non-removable 2000mAH battery that’s rated at 14 to 15 hours of talk time and 23 days standby.

The Lumia 625 feels solidly built, albeit a little on the heavy side. But even with a 4.7″ screen, it’s easy to hold in one hand. If you favour your left hand, you might find yourself accidentally hitting the power button located half way up the right edge. Powering it up, you get the Windows 8 tile-like interface that tells you right away that it’s not an Android or iOS handset. It also has three soft-touch buttons (back, Windows and search) on the lower portion of the screen, which offers super-sensitive touch. The same also holds true for navigating from screen to screen and operating the large key on-screen keyboard – they’re fast.

READ FULL ARTICLE AT TROY MEDIA

Filed Under: GadgetGreg, Going Mobile, Hands On, Product review, smartphone, Troy Media · Tagged With: Review, smartphone

The perfect pouch for the TruRunner

July 5, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

As the mercury climbs, we do away with the hoodies and tracksuits and opt for T-shirts and shorts we find ourselves with fewer pockets and places to keep our keys, smartphones and the like as we head out and about for a walk or a run. One solution to avoid a knapsack or a bulky fanny pack is the TruRunner by Bracketron, a sturdy diminutive lightweight waist pack to store the necessities you need to carry.

TruRunner has a fully adjustable elasticized belt that hugs nicely to your body. Its pleated in-line pocket, may not look like much, but actually expands quite nicely allowing you to store things like your iPhone, keys and perhaps another small personal item or even a granola bar. It’s lining is weather resistant to keep your electronics dry and a weatherproof sealing zipper can help avoid leaks.

I wholeheartedly resist calling TruRunner a fanny pack, for the simple reason that that term conjures up images of the 1990s humongous multi-zippered leather pouch that looked more like a life preserver than a portable storage pack.

Read more… At CANOE TECH BLOG

Filed Under: accessories, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, Hands On, New Product, Product review, travel · Tagged With: accessories, fitness, sports

Survival Sidekick might just save your life

July 2, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

Today, in a suburb just outside Minneapolis, Bob Renning, a Good Samaritan, somehow found the strength to pry open the door of Michael Johannes’ burning Chevrolet TrailBlazer and saved him from certain death. Now after seeing the footage at Canoe cNews, it made me rethink the usefulness of features on today’s emergency gadgets that we think we’ll never use, but in actual fact could one day save our life.

One such feature is the glass breaker found on the new Champ Survival Sidekick 8-in-1 (Emergency Preparedness) Multitool by Voxx Accessories. Johannes had mentioned that he was unable to get out of his vehicle as the electrical system was disabled and he couldn’t unlock the door. And without his good fortune that someone like Renning just happened to be around, he may not be alive right now to tell about it.

The Survival Sidekick 8-in-1 actually looks like a very large flashlight, and a flashlight it is. It features three LEDs that can keep shining brightly for up to five consecutive hours. Read more…AT CANOE TECH BLOG

Filed Under: accessories, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, Going Mobile, Hands On, New Product, Product review · Tagged With: emergency, safety, travel

Review: iRig Voice & EZ Voice unleash your inner singer

June 19, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

IK Multimedia, known for specializing in gear for musicians and artists released iRig Voice today. This affordable microphone designed for basic voice recording and ideal to pair with popular music apps, karaoke apps and in particular IK’s new EZ Voice – which allows you to sing along to your favourite tune and hear your own voice.

Read more… AT CANOE TECH BLOG