GRDE Retractable Earbuds Bluetooth Headphone

For a while now these over-the-neck style headphones have been out. They solve the problem with what to do with your Bluetooth earbuds when you are not actually listening to them. If you just let a regular set dangle around your neck they could easily get lost. If you stick them in your pocket they are not convenient and could get damaged. LG came up with the original design that lets the earbuds just stay safely around your neck when not in use. I tried an LG headset out and I only gave it 3 out of 5 stars. See my review of it here: LG HBS-800. This headset corrects one of the problems I had with the LG headset and introduces a much simpler interface system but there are still problems.

The sound quality is middle of the road. Not exceptional but not bad, either.

The device comes in four different colors: silver, gold, pink and black.

Pros:

-The easy on/off switch dispenses with the typical "hold and keep holding until you get a reaction" buttons that most Bluetooth headsets use. This is much simpler, especially if you are leaving them on around your neck. The device vibrates when you turn it on and turn it off.

-The Bluetooth pairs easily.

-The LG system uses lightweight magnets to hold the earbuds to the end of their device. This one uses a retractable system. Pull the earbuds out to the length that you want. Push a button and the wire retracts. 

The headset with everything that comes in the box:
a micro-USB cord, its instruction manual and two ear-tip replacement

-The phone works very well through this headset. I used the phone itself to call because I do not like using the buttons on a headset and having to try to memorize where all of the buttons are. When the phone rings when it is paired to this device the headset vibrates.

Cons:

-The headset is actually tight around my neck. I am not a thin guy but this was a new one for me. I would not be comfortable with long-term use of this headset out of fear of breaking the collar by forcing it open to get around my neck. If I had purchased it I would have returned it but I received a free copy in order to write an honest review.

Final thoughts: This headset gets 3 stars out of 5. 1 star was taken away for the "okay but not great" speakers. 1 star was taken away for being tight around my neck.

At the time of this review this Bluetooth headset cost $34.99. Check here for current pricing on Amazon.com: Retractable Earbuds Bluetooth Headphone.

EMIE Memo 8000mAh Compact Silicone Cover External Battery with Smart LED Indicator (Black and Green)

Extra battery power for cell phones and tablets is a hot new market since batteries never seem to last long enough, especially if you are a heavy user of apps or Instagram or the like. If you can't leave your phone plugged into a computer or into a car's electrical socket than you could easily run out of power before your day is done.

The EMIE Memo 8000mAh external battery fits this bill perfectly. 

The box and what comes in it: Battery, micro-USB cord
and the instruction manual.

I charged my battery up and then let it sit for a couple of weeks.  My Samsung Galaxy 3 (Yes, I am still using a SG3) was nearly dead and the Lomui battery quickly charged it to 100%. And, the next day I did it again and it charged it almost all of the way again (90%) before dying. To me, that replicates what most people will do - charge it and leave it in a backpack and forget about it for weeks at a time. Good news - it will do just that.

This battery is designed to be about the size of a smart phone and weighs just a little more than one. It easily fits in anywhere a smart phone fits - jacket pockets, internal backpack sleeves, etc. - until it is needed. 

It has an instruction book with a lot of very good pictures and also a lot of very bad English that manages to get its point across anyway.

This battery comes in nine different color/decoration combinations and has a more powerful battery level (10000mAh).

Pros:

-Holds its charge and is good for about two charges of a smart phone

-Anti-slip coating all around the body so it won't slide off inclined surfaces like school desks or car dashboards easily.

-Sized like a smart phone so it stores in the same places that you would store a smart phone.

-Least importantly, but always nice - this is a good-looking device.

Cons:

-It does tell you what the charge level is but it rather than a traditional design to tell you the charge level it features a color code system that works only so long as you remember the color code system. Shake the battery and a light on the end lights up red (70-100%), blue (30-70%) and green (0-30%). To me, those colors are counter-intuitive. Red should be "Stop! Re-charge this thing!" and green should be "You can go - this thing is all charged up!"

I rate this product 4 stars out of 5. Very good but that charge indicator system needs some work.

This battery cost $23.99 on Amazon.com at the time of this review. Check here for current pricing: EMIE Memo 8000mAh Compact Silicone Cover External Battery with Smart LED Indicator (Black and Green).

iDeaUSA Mini Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker with Built-in Mic, Supports SD/TF card,

One of the hottest things at the school where I teach is the mini-bluetooth speaker (as a teacher, I hate them but as an audio listener I have several).
Smart phones generally have pretty good speakers, considering how small they are. But, one of these little speakers can turn your smart phone into an old-fashioned boom box in a few seconds.

This little speaker is built for life in a backpack. It is rubberized and claims it is waterproof, although I didn't test it. Clearly, it is designed to be water-resistant so it should be able to make it through a rain storm or a coffee spill without a problem. It comes with a little carabiner clip to attach outside of a backpack, or to a loop on the inside as well. 

The Bluetooth attaches easily. It has the ability to read music off of a micro-SD card and play it but I did not test that feature since I have no spare micro-SD cards sitting around. But, I have used it with its phone feature and it works great. If you are paired with your smart phone and you receive a phone call (or want to make one) just use your phone as normal and this speaker makes your phone a very loud speaker phone. No need to disengage the Bluetooth and all of that mess. Very helpful if you are listening in the car while driving. Just hang the speaker from the sun visor with the carabiner.

The instruction book comes with plenty of good illustrations that are very helpful. The text is almost always very clear and easy to understand. Sometimes, it is amusing, however.

When this review was written this Bluetooth speaker cost $22.99 on Amazon.com. Click here for current pricing: iDeaUSA Mini Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker.

Note: I received a free speaker in order to test it and give you my honest thoughts about it. This speaker will not rock out a party by itself - it is simply too small. But, for its price and because it is designed to travel it would be great on trips or to stream music with a smart phone in a car that is not compatible with wireless devices. 

I rate this Bluetooth speaker 5 stars out of 5.

LITOM Soleil P2 Solar Spotlight

Quick and Easy Solution for Outdoor Security Lighting

This is my second solar-powered spotlight. I use them both as security lights on the side of my house where we don't go much. They turn on automatically when it gets dark and they turn off when they detect light.

This all enclosed system has a a shaft with an attached solar panel and spotlight. You can move around the lights and the panel to whatever position you think might work best.  Keep in mind that it turns off when it detects light so don't put it someplace where other lights will keep it off.

The spotlight is designed to be staked into the ground but if you want you may remove the stake and attach the base to a wooden surface. They have included three screws and three drywall anchors.

The system is waterproof and I have been using it for a little more than a month. Winter time is not the best time to be using a solar light for three reasons: 1) there is longer nighttime in which would like the light to be working; 2) there is less daytime to charge the light; 3) the limited daylight is of less quality in the winter because of the angle of the sun in the sky so the batteries have a harder time charging.

While all of that is true, I used my head and countered by setting the light on the low setting. So far, I have had light shining no matter how late I come in. The sun sets before 6PM here and it can be pitch dark by 5PM if the cloud cover is right. Still, this light is glowing strong after midnight.

This would also be great on a camping trip, assuming you set up camp in time to let the solar battery charge up.

The instruction manual is well-written in easy to understand English.

As of the time of this review, this solar spotlight cost $20.99 on Amazon.com. Check here for current pricing: Litom Soleil P2 Solar-Powered Spotlight

Note: I received a free spotlight in order to make an honest review.