samedi 31 décembre 2016

Security cameras, flashlights top 10 posts of 2016 and more – Weekly roundup

It’s the last day of the week which means it’s time to scroll through a list of all our news and reviews from the past 7 days. I’m sure you didn’t read everything, so now is the time to catch up. Click through to see the list.

Reviews

Articles

News

Filed in categories: News

Tagged:

Security cameras, flashlights top 10 posts of 2016 and more – Weekly roundup originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 31, 2016 at 6:30 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://ift.tt/1nJlrA1 in order to ensure continuous delivery.



Security cameras, flashlights top 10 posts of 2016 and more – Weekly roundup

MOCACare MOCACuff connected wrist blood pressure monitor review

High blood pressure is a condition that has been referred to as a silent killer because people who suffer from it don’t always have symptoms until it’s too late. When your blood pressure is too high, it can contribute to strokes, heart disease and worst of all, death. Most of the time when we visit a primary care doctor, they will check our blood pressure, but if you don’t have regular appointments, it might be a good idea to invest in a blood pressure that you can use at home like the easy to use MOCACare MOCACuff.  

What is a MOCACuff?

The MOCACuff is an FDA cleared compact blood pressure monitor that fits around your wrist instead of your bicep like most blood pressure monitors that are on the market. The MOCACuff can be used as a standalone device and it can also pair with your iOS or Android mobile device to store your readings.

What’s in the box?

MOCACuff connected wrist blood pressure monitor
Zippered storage case
Instruction manual

Design and features

The MOCACuff is a 3 x 3-inch black plastic module with a back lit LCD display and four buttons. Three of the buttons are used to set the time/date and scroll through past readings. The large circular button is used to start/stop a blood pressure reading.

Attached to the blood pressure module is a Velcro cuff that wraps around your wrist (5.3 – 7.7 inches).

The MOCACuff runs on 2 AAA batteries that will last for approximately 200 readings.

Taking a blood pressure reading

You can use the MOCACuff all by itself if you don’t have an iOS or Android mobile device running iOS 8+, Android 4.0.3+, Bluetooth 4.0 BLE or later, which is required to use the MOCACare app and pair with the MOCACuff.

Using the MOCACuff with your mobile device (in my case, the Nexus 6P), you just install the app, launch it, create an account, and then press the + button on the MOCACuff to connect to the app.  I was up and running in just a couple of minutes.

Once the MOCACuff has been connected to the mobile app, you’re ready to take a blood pressure reading. To do this, you put the MOCACuff on your wrist with the display facing palm up and at the same level with your heart which might require you to put a pillow or something under your arm to prop it up to the right height. Pressing the round start button will inflate the cuff and start the reading.

The large LCD display makes it very easy to view the result which shows the systolic rate (top number) and  Diastolic rate (bottom number) along with the date, time and heart rate. If the MOCACuff detected an irregular heart beat, it will show that info too.

You’ll also notice a small arrow on the right edge of the display that points to one of the colored circles that range from green at the bottom, up to red at the top. This arrow is a color-coded indicator that corresponds to the American Heart Association’s (AHA) blood pressure categories for risk levels.

If your mobile device is connected, you’ll see more info in the app after you’ve taken a reading. The app will give you insight on your reading and offer suggestions to improve future readings.

The app also allows you to see your past readings with a colored bar that corresponds with your risk level. It goes without saying that you want to be green.

Using the MOCACuff and the app to keep an eye on your blood pressure readings is easy to do, but there is one problem with the app. It only stores readings for one user. There’s no way to assign readings to more than one person which is annoying if you want to use the MOCACuff for more than one family member.

Final thoughts

I really like the MOCACuff. It’s only $50 right now, so it’s not too expensive, and it’s easy to use with an without a mobile device. The only improvement that I would make would be to the app to allow a reading to be assigned to certain family members. But other than that, I highly recommend it.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by MOCACare. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $49.00
Manufacturer: MOCACare
Retailer: Amazon
Requirements:
  • The MOCACARE App is compatible with devices running iOS 8+, Android 4.0.3+, Bluetooth 4.0 BLE or later.
Pros:
  • Compact
  • Easy to use
  • Data stored in mobile app and on device
Cons:
  • Mobile app only records data for one user

Filed in categories: Health, Fitness, Sports, Reviews

Tagged:

MOCACare MOCACuff connected wrist blood pressure monitor review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 31, 2016 at 5:35 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://ift.tt/1nJlrA1 in order to ensure continuous delivery.



MOCACare MOCACuff connected wrist blood pressure monitor review

Warning: Chatbooks can make you appear more organized than you are

You take oodles of pics with your phone and your favorite ones get posted to your various social media sites to share with the world.  Many people do this daily to secure their memories and to have the ability to relive everyday moments with the swipe of a finger. With Chatbooks, these important pics can be sent to you in a snazzy book with little thought on your part, no tedious formatting, and for only 8 dollars and free shipping!  Your friends and family will wonder where you got the time to create these 60 page high quality print books. Well, you don’t have to tell anyone that all you have to do is simply download the free app, decide if you want to use Facebook, Instagram, or the photo camera roll favorites on your phone.  Every time you accumulate 60 pics you are sent a 6 x 6 printed book…for 8 dollars and free shipping, did I mention that? There is an option to edit the book before it ships and you can choose a hard cover book for an extra 5 bucks.  Go to the App Store or Google Play to get the app, or visit the Chatbooks website for more information on how you can fool people into thinking you have way more time on your hands than you actually do.

Filed in categories: Android, iOS, News

Tagged:

Warning: Chatbooks can make you appear more organized than you are originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 31, 2016 at 11:30 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://ift.tt/1nJlrA1 in order to ensure continuous delivery.



Warning: Chatbooks can make you appear more organized than you are

The Gadgeteer’s top 10 posts of 2016

Every year either on or around December 31st, I like to put together a list of our most popular news, reviews and articles of the year according to Google’s traffic statistics for the site. I think it’s interesting to see which articles and topics were the most popular with our readers. Any ideas what the top list will reveal this year? Click through to find out.

10. GOATcase develops anti-gravity case for iPhone and Samsung Galaxy phones by Neil Henning (August, 2016)

We start out with a news post about a case for iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones that can stick to things. This short article was read over 36,000 times this past year. Who knew that stickie cases were that popular with people!

9. Keurig 2.0 Model K550 Coffee Brewing System review by Janet Cloninger (November, 2014)

keurig-2-point-0-12

This review was on last year’s list at #3, so it’s fallen a few levels, but people are still interested in a coffee and beverage maker that was released back in 2014.

8. Make it yourself – Midori Traveler’s style leather Moleskine Cahier or Field Notes notebook cover by Julie Strietelmeier (August, 2013)

diy-midori-15

Last year, this article was the 4th most read article of 2015 and this year it has still been read more than 65,000 times. It just goes to show that people love DIY articles and journals! I have plans to revisit this article with a new DIY journal cover in 2017. So stay tuned.

7. Casetify Phone Case review by Elizabeth Rodriguez (March, 2015)

Casetify-Review-10

In the early days of The Gadgeteer, I was well known for case reviews. Even though we don’t do very many these days, the ones we do are read – a LOT. This one from Elizabeth was read over 72,000 times.

6. Ridge Wallet review by Jason Griffin (May, 2015)

The Ridge Wallet 9

Minimalist wallets continue to be popular. I’ve even switched to one myself. This review from Jason was on last year’s top list at the #12 spot, so it’s even more popular this year after being read more than 74,000 times.

5. Go outside tonight to view Mars without a telescope by Julie Strietelmeier (May, 2016)

This article was written on a whim one Saturday morning when I was reading that Mars would be visible. I thought it might be useful to write some quick tips on using your phone to snap a picture. Over 77,000 people thought the same thing.

4. i-FlashDrive external storage for iOS devices review by Janet Cloninger (December, 2014)

brando-i-flashdrive-5

This review only dropped two spots in popularity from #2 in 2015 to #4 for this year. Even though Apple continues to increase built in storage capacity on their devices, people still look for alternative ways to extend the storage capabilities of their devices.

3. MPOW Swift Bluetooth 4.0 Headphones review by Kathleen Chapman (April, 2015)

MPOW-Bluetooth-Swift-Headphone-5

Here’s another review that was on last year’s list in a lower spot than it is for 2016. Wireless headphones and earphones will continue to be popular since Apple has removed the 3.5mm headphone jack from their phones. Maybe next year we’ll have a pair of Lightning connector headphones on the top list.

2. VR Shinecon Virtual Reality Glasses review by Julie Strietelmeier (January, 2016)

This one surprises me. I don’t understand why this VR headset is so popular because I think it’s junk compared to others I’ve tried. This one wouldn’t even fit over my glasses. But with over 172,000 reads, I can’t argue with its popularity.

1. SJCAM SJ4000 Action Camera review by Raul Sanchez (October, 2014)

SJCAM_3

Well, there you have it, the most read review on The Gadgeteer for 2016 is an action cam review from 2014. This review was #1 on last year’s top list and was read over 239,000 times this year. It continues to be read at least 100 times every day. I wonder where it will end up on next year’s list.

Filed in categories: Articles

Tagged:

The Gadgeteer’s top 10 posts of 2016 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 31, 2016 at 8:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://ift.tt/1nJlrA1 in order to ensure continuous delivery.



The Gadgeteer’s top 10 posts of 2016

vendredi 30 décembre 2016

Today is Digital Day at Amazon

You survived Amazon’s Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the day after Christmas sales, but the holiday savings at Amazon aren’t done yet. Today is Digital Day at Amazon. Until midnight tonight, you can save on thousands of apps, movies, TV shows, books and more.

Make it a movie night tonight and save up to 50% on movies like Beyond Star Trek which is only $6.99 today. Not a Trekkie? How about the Harry Potter series? You can rent or buy all of the movies today for $3.99 – $4.99.

If games are your thing, you can save on in-app purchases and up to 70% on PC game downloads.

For more info visit Amazon’s Digital Day page.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged:

Today is Digital Day at Amazon originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 30, 2016 at 10:21 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://ift.tt/1nJlrA1 in order to ensure continuous delivery.



Today is Digital Day at Amazon

Industrial Strength Coloring Book review

Adult coloring books have been a thing for awhile now, but patterns tend to be flowers, animals, and other nature scenes. The Industrial Strength Coloring Book by noted graphic designer Robert Pizzo and Quill driver Books will appeal to people who are interested in manufacturing, technology, and engineering, with patterns that feature gears, circuits, gears and more. 

What is it?

Industrial Strength Coloring Book: Gear Up to Break the Coloring Mold by Robert Pizzo is an adult coloring book that features intricate industrial focused images.

The book has 50 black and white line art images that are printed on 70-pound paper that is printed only on one side and is perforated so that you can remove your artwork to share and display.

 

The images won’t appeal to all adult coloring book fans because they are of factory settings, machinery, and tools.

The illustrator of the book is Robert Pizzo, a graphic designer who has done work for Newsweek, Verizon, Coke, Pepsi and more.

You can use colored pencils, markers, and even crayons to color in this book. I think fine tipped colored markers work best and I was happy that the paper is thick enough that the ink did not bleed through.

Final thoughts

Coloring books aren’t just for kids anymore. Many adults are enjoying this relaxing past time too because it is a great way to unwind after a long day. Robert Pizzo’s Industrial Strength Coloring Book is an adult coloring book that readers of the Gadgeteer will appreciate because it features gears and other tech that we enjoy.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Quill Driver Books. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $12.95
Manufacturer: Quill Driver Books
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Heavy paper that prevents bleed-through
  • Perforated pages
Cons:
  • None

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: ,

Industrial Strength Coloring Book review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 30, 2016 at 8:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://ift.tt/1nJlrA1 in order to ensure continuous delivery.



Industrial Strength Coloring Book review

jeudi 29 décembre 2016

Pokka Pen review

An essential part of anyone’s EDC kit should be a pen that can easily fit in your pocket so that you’ll always have it when it’s needed. There are quite a pens on the market that have been designed for pocket carry, but they tend to be too expensive. No one wants to spend a lot of money for a pen that they might lose. Pokka Pens solve that problem. They fit in your pocket but is inexpensive enough that it won’t ruin your day if you misplace it.

What is a Pokka Pen?

The Pokka Pen is a pocket-sized disposable pen that has a cap that completely includes the pen when it’s not being used and posts on the back of the pen to turn it into a full-sized writing instrument. It’s also made in the USA.

Design and features

Pokka Pens are available in several colors (including transparent) as you can see in the image above.

Compared to a Fisher Space Pen, the Pokka Pen is a little shorter and a lot less expensive. With the pen in pocket carry mode, it’s about 3.3 inches long.

And with the cap posted on the back of the Pokka pen, it’s about 5.5 inches long.

Pokka Pens are made of light weight ABS plastic so you’ll barely notice that it’s in your pocket. On the end opposite the writing tip is the Pokka Double Dokk.

The Double Dokk has matching ramps and nitrile rubber O-rings on either side of a central stop that keeps the cap posted securely in place no matter which side it’s on.  It also makes a nice pop noise when you snap it in place.

Here we have a disassembled Pokka Pen. All Pokka Pens have a black ink insert. The Pokka ink insert reminds me of a Bic pen insert, but I didn’t have a Bic pen to verify that claim.

I’ve been using a Pilot G2 refill for so long that most other pens feel inferior as far as writing smoothness. The Pokka Pen didn’t change that feeling. It writes like a generic Bic stick pen, which means it’s a little draggy on paper.

Final thoughts

The Pokka Pen might not write as smoothly as my favorite pen, but it does make a great EDC pen because it’s small enough to comfortably fit in my pocket and converts into a full sized pen so my hand doesn’t cramp up when I need to use it. Pair that with the fact that it doesn’t cost a fortune, and I think the Pokka Pen will become a real favorite with EDC enthusiasts.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Pokka Pens. Please visit their site for more info.

 

Product Information

Price: $4.95 for single cammo, $8.45 for a pack of 3, $10.45 for pack of 3 with cammo
Manufacturer: Pokka Pens
Pros:
  • Pocket sized
  • Inexpensive
Cons:
  • No refills

Filed in categories: Paper and Pens, Pocket Gear, Reviews

Tagged:

Pokka Pen review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 29, 2016 at 3:43 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://ift.tt/1nJlrA1 in order to ensure continuous delivery.



Pokka Pen review

FINsix DART will power MacBooks and other Type-C laptops

A few months ago I had the opportunity to review the FINsix DART laptop charger which is a much smaller replacement for typical laptop “brick” chargers. I really liked the FINsix except for one thing… It wasn’t compatible with Type-C laptops like Apple’s newer MacBooks. FINsix heard my and other people’s complaints and will be offering the DART-C starting in just a few weeks.

DART-C is a powerful 65-watt laptop charger that is up to four times smaller and lighter than a traditional A/C adapter. The additional built-in USB port allows for simultaneous charging of another electronic device, like a phone or tablet. With the addition of DART-C, the DART family of chargers expands its ample reach of supported laptops to include Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro, Dell XPS 13, Lenovo ThinkPad 13, and ASUS ZenBook 3.

The FINsix DART-C will be available at FINsix.com and other resellers beginning in January 2017 for a price of $99. A USB Type-C cable will also be available at FINsix.com as an accessory people who own the original DART for $34.99. The DART-C will be available in a variety of colors, including blue, gunmetal, magenta, orange, and silver. Visit FINsix.com for more info.

Filed in categories: Cables, Batteries and Chargers, News

Tagged:

FINsix DART will power MacBooks and other Type-C laptops originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 29, 2016 at 10:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://ift.tt/1nJlrA1 in order to ensure continuous delivery.



FINsix DART will power MacBooks and other Type-C laptops

Flic wireless smart buttons review

Using your phone or tablet to control IoT (Internet of Things) gadgets is cool, but it can get annoying when you have to pull your phone out of your pocket, turn it on, navigate to a specific app and then tap an onscreen button to perform the desired task. If you want to save a LOT of steps, consider a Flic button. One press and it does all those steps for you.

What are Flic smart buttons?

Flic wireless smart buttons are small quarter-sized clickable buttons that pair with your mobile device using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and can be programmed to perform certain tasks based on one click, a double click, and a click and hold.

There are Flics that are designed just for one task such as controlling WiFi enabled smart light bulbs, Flics for finding your phone, sharing your location and more. And, there are Flics that can be programmed for any combination of those same tasks.

What’s in the box?

Flic button
Instructions

Design and features

There are two styles of Flic buttons. The style shown above has an image printed on it to show its intended task. These are called FlicSingles and they are available in five versions:

FlicLight – controls smart light bulbs like Hue, Wemo, LIFX0 and others
FlicFind – helps you find your phone by playing a sound or vibration
FlicLocation – records your location, shares your location via SMS and can also make a loud noise
FlicMusic – pause/play music on your favorite apps, skip songs and adjust volume
FlicSelfie – snaps a picture or toggles video recording

FlicSingles can only do one task for each type of button press: single click, double click or click and hold.

FlicSingles are powered by a non-replaceable battery that will last up to 2 years.

The other button style is just called the Flic button and it comes in four colors including green (shown above), black, white, and blue. The Flic button has the same diameter as the FlicSingle buttons, but the top edges are rounded which makes it look a little smaller than the FlicSingle.

The Flic button has a replaceable CR2016 coin cell battery and a clip is included in the package that replaces the back cover if you want to clip the button your clothes, a bag, etc.

Both styles of Flic buttons light up when you press them and both buttons have a self-adhesive / reuseable sticker on the back for easy mounting.

Setup

To use either version of the Flic button, you will first need to install the Flic iOS or Android app and create an account through the app. Once that is done, you can start adding the Flic buttons to the app.

Adding buttons is very easy because all you have to do is just click the Flic button and the app does the rest. There’s no switching between WiFi access points, typing in of Bluetooth pairing codes or any nonsense like that. It’s just a fast and easy click and wait for confirmation.

Once you’ve added a button to the app, then you can program the click, double click, and click and hold actions. The FlicSingle buttons like the FlicLight button only allow you to program one action for each type of button press. With the FlicLight button, you also have to set up the connection to the 3rd party smart light bulb that you already own.

The regular Flic button can be programmed to do a combination of different actions and even multiple actions per button press. There are more than 50 actions available to choose from including phone actions like making a call, hanging up a call, sending a pre-written text message, etc. You can also click a button to send an email, tweet, navigate to a pre-selected address, set an alarm, snooze an alarm and all sorts of other things.

I set the Green Flic to play/pause music with one click, go to the next track in Amazon Music with a double click and read my last text message with a click and hold.

You can even use the Flic app to do different actions if you don’t even own a Flic button by setting up Tasks which are virtual buttons that show up in your notification area.

Using Flic buttons

I tested the FlicSingle FlicLight button with a LIFX bulb which I already had setup in my bedroom. Pressing the FlicLight button to turn the lights off when I get in bed at night is much faster than using my phone. There’s a one or two-second delay, between button press and the desired action, but that doesn’t bother me. The only thing to keep in mind is that your phone or the device with the Flic application has to be nearby in order for the Flic button action to work. If I leave my phone downstairs in my Gadgeteer HQ basement office and tried to use a Flic button upstairs in my bedroom to toggle lights on and off, it rarely worked.

I also tested one of the Flic buttons by programming it with all sorts of tasks and it worked as well as the FlicSingle buttons.

Final thoughts

Flic wireless smart buttons are easy to setup and fun to program. As long as you don’t mind the price as they are a little expensive, and you understand that the iOS or Android device with the Flic app has to be within range of the Flic buttons for them to work, I find the Flic buttons to be a great alternative to using my phone to control my IoT devices.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Flic. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $19.99 (FlicSingles), $34.00 (Flic)
Manufacturer: Flic
Retailer: Amazon
Requirements:
  • iOS or Android device that has BLE capability
Pros:
  • Easy to setup
  • Easy to program
  • 50+ actions
Cons:
  • Paired mobile iOS or Android device must be nearby to use buttons
  • Single Flic buttons are expensive

Filed in categories: Bluetooth Gear, Reviews

Tagged:

Flic wireless smart buttons review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 29, 2016 at 9:01 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://ift.tt/1nJlrA1 in order to ensure continuous delivery.



Flic wireless smart buttons review