Review — Page 6

iStabilizer smartMount better 2nd time around

February 18, 2015 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

To satisfy the Selfie generation, last year iStabilizer released their smartMount smartphone tripod adapter. It was available either as a standalone item or as part of their monopod or flexible smartphone tripod products. While the design seemed quite clever at the time, in practice, depending on your phone it would often, quite frankly, miss the mark. Plus, it wasn’t wide enough to accommodate the iPhone 6. So iStabilizer went back to the drawing board, redesigned it and this time they hit the target.

The original adapter (below) looked pretty cool. It was spring-loaded to allow for any phone up to 2.75 inches in width and a separate model; the XL would accommodate the iPhone 6 and other phones up to 3.5 inches in width. The top portion had a metal wire frame with a rubber insert that could easily fall out and get lost. The bottom grip had a rest adorned with rubberized foam to keep the phone in place. Read more…at CanoeTech Blog

Filed Under: accessories, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, New Product, Product review, Review, smartphone · Tagged With: accessories, product review, travel, video

Linksys Dual Band Router and Gigabit Switch get your wireless home network up to speed

December 21, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

EDMONTON, AB, Dec 21, 2014/ Troy Media/ – Your household has made it through the year, but somehow the Internet connection is not as responsive as it could be; in fact, it’s brutal even doing a Google search. You’ve added new devices, with more likely to come by Christmas morning.

Your original router was great when you got it but now barely serves its purpose: it’s time to step things up a notch.

Just what the doctor ordered

The Linksys WRT1900AC Dual Band Gigabit Ethernet Router along with Linksys WRT 8-Port Gigabit Switch (SE4008) might just be what the gadget doctor ordered.

Instead of a single antenna, the Linksys WRT1900AC router has four. This allows you to position the router for maximum signal strength, of course, but also allows you to position each individual antenna to help minimize areas in your home void of a good signal.

And rather than just sending out a general signal, the router, through its own proprietary BeamForming technology, can single out a specific device and boost its signal. This can be handy particularly for that one device, maybe your laptop that always seems to get a poor connection in the living room. READ FULL ARTICLE at Troy Media.

Filed Under: accessories, GadgetGreg, Hands On, Product review, Review, Troy Media · Tagged With: Internet, networking, product review

NewerTech NuGreen desk lamp features 50 LEDs

December 12, 2014 by Greg Gazin · 1 Comment

nugreen_gall2 Desk lamps are not typically something in this Gadget Guy’s repertoire or even on my list of tech gifts for under the tree but I was happy to make an exception for the NewerTech NuGreen energy efficient flexible neck LED desk lamp.

The first thing you’ll notice is that it looks pretty cool. It has a flat aluminum base, a bendable 12-inch gooseneck, which allows you to position, it depending on where you need the light and an equally flat disc-shaped head that matches the lamp’s base quite nicely.

What’s even cooler is how it puts out the light. The lamp head features an impressive 50 5mm light emitting diodes (LEDs), producing a very bright (4500K) white light similar to what natural daylight would look like. This makes it ideal for almost any room in the house. It’s not designed to light the whole room, but more in a concentrated area like a desk. Still, you wouldn’t want to switch it on and looked directly at it, as it would be truly blinding. What’s even more amazing is how energy-efficient it is. With all that light it puts out, it only consumes a mere 3.6 W total power and the LEDs remain cool to the touch.

According to the company, the LEDs are designed to last for up to 45,000 hours of use, which they say is up to 22 times longer than a traditional bulb. And they’re eco-friendly too. They contain no mercury and therefore can also be recycled. READ FULL Review at G4TV Canada’s Tech News.

Filed Under: accessories, G4 TechTV Canada, GadgetGreg, Hands On, Product review, Review · Tagged With: accessories, LED, product review

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

November 28, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

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

Filed Under: accessories, Apps Alive, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, Product review, Review, Signs of the Times · Tagged With: Black Friday, Gadgets, gift ideas

FlipBelt does away with armbands and fanny packs

October 31, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

You’re out for a jog or run but you need to carry around your smart phone, keys and probably a few other things. You don’t have that many pockets and your tired of those very in attractive armbands and things bouncing up and down in your pockets. So the good folks at FlipBelt have come out with a cool little fitness accessory of the same name, so you can carry all of the above, including something as big as an iPhone 6 Plus and more, right around your waist.

Review: Fluance Fi30 Bluetooth Wood Speaker System

October 29, 2014 by Greg Gazin · 1 Comment

I’ve become so used to seeing speakers that are housed in cabinets made with plastic and metal that I almost forgot about speakers that come in wood grained cabinetry just like the ones I got so used to during my formative years. So I was pleasantly surprised when I had an opportunity to test drive one that reminded me of days gone by.

Fluance, a North American based direct-to-market speaker brand, has combined the best of yesterday and today with their high-performance Fi30 speaker system. It features wireless audio streaming via Bluetooth powered by aptX enhanced audio technology incorporated into a solid audio grade MDF wood cabinet.

Although it is wireless, it’s fairly hefty and not really designed to be portable, measuring 16.5″ x 5.5″ x 5.5″ and weighs a whopping 8.3 pounds. There’s no battery option as it runs purely on AC and the kind of device that would not seem out of place on a wall unit or mantle.

Under the hood it has two 3-inch woven glass fibre composite drivers with butyl rubber surrounds. There is no separate bass speaker, but in the rear you’ll find two respectably tuned bass ports that give you just about that you just the right amount of resonance without the need for a subwoofer. READ FULL REVIEW at G4TV Canada

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

Satechi LightMate lights charges and breaks glass

October 27, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

It’s not quite a mini Star Wars Lightsaber, but the Satechi LightMate, a 4-in-1 flashlight, emergency light, glass breaker and portable USB charger that can possibly save you in a time of need. And unlike the immortalized Hollywood prop, LightMate is a real product, solidly built – made from an aluminum steel alloy that the company says can withstand the weight of an average sized car.

The flashlight features fairly bright LEDs, putting out 220 lumens that can be seen, even in daylight. You can select from three different brightness levels – 100%, 50%, 15% as well as two emergency modes – strobe and SOS modes which cause the LEDs to flash in two different patterns.

Using it as a flashlight makes it idea for directional lighting to light up the way, but it also comes with a white screw-in light diffuser for area lighting, like for reading a map in the dark. Read more… at Canoe Tech Blog

Filed Under: accessories, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, Hands On, New Product, Product review, Review · Tagged With: accessories, emergency

FoxL Dash 7 speaker offers big bass in a tiny bar

October 22, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

A speaker designed by the legendary audio designer Dr. Guenther Godehard a former NASA scientist and former nuclear physicist would need to be somehow out of this world. Now it’s not something you would use out in space, but space is the operative word as it can deliver big sound and takes up little space. It’s called the FoxL Dash 7 Portable Speaker by Soundmatters and it’s designed for the discerning audiophile.

The Dash 7 is a small yet powerful, almost flat like a candy bar wireless speaker or perhaps more appropriately, a sound bar. It’s Bluetooth enabled, so you can use it wirelessly, but your can also use its 3.5mm input for direct connect. It’s also configured with a echo/noise cancelling microphone so you can utilize your phone functions while listening to your tunes. Read more…… at CANOE TECH BLOG

Filed Under: accessories, Audio, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, Hands On, New Product, Product review, Review, sound · Tagged With: Review, sound

Rapoo ultra-slim wireless keyboard has built-in touchpad

October 1, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

As the battle of the on-screen keyboards continue, we’re still seeing more of the smaller touch-feely tactile keyboards coming to market as people use them as alternatives to full-sized keyboards for computers, media player and smart TV remote controls. And one such keyboard is the Rapoo E2700 Ultra-slim Wireless Multimedia keyboard with Touchpad.

At 10″ long x 3 1/4″ deep, only 1/4″ thin and weighing a mere 186 grams, it’s lighter, smaller and thinner than most keyboards including Apple’s Wireless Keyboard (approx 11″ x 5″). It has a minimalist design, denoted by the lack of a bezel around its perimeter and no LEDs. Read more… At Canoe Tech Blog

Filed Under: accessories, Canoe Technology, GadgetGreg, Hands On, New Product, Product review, Review · Tagged With: accessories, wireless

Champ Bodyguard AR for Her & ZipStick 3-in-1 Power Banks

September 3, 2014 by Greg Gazin · Leave a Comment

Every once in a while you come across two cool products that are functionally identical but marketed under different brands. Such is the case with the Champ Bodyguard Battery Rechargeable Power Bank and theAR for Her PowerBank with LED flashlight and Panic Alarm, a.k.a the ZipStick. And while these product names seem to be quite a mouthful, they both accomplish the same job appeal to two unique demographics.

They are slim-line battery packs designed to power and charge up 5V USB devices. They have a built-in LED flashlight and a panic alarm that emits a very loud and annoying sound designed to either attract attention or to scare off something or someone. READ FULL REVIEW at G4TV Canada.