HOONT BRIGHT OUTDOOR SOLAR POWERED LED SPOTLIGHT WITH STAKE

Solar lighting is making great strides. The prices are dropping while the quality of the light is getting better thanks to energy-saving LED bulbs. Hoont's solar spotlight provides good quality accent lighting and is super-easy to install. 

 Positives: 

 -Assembly and installation are easy. There are five steps: 1) take the protective film off of the solar panel, 2) turn on the solar panel with the switch on the back (also choose if you want bright or low light), 3) put the stake on the bottom of the panel (they fit together snugly and go together easily), 4) stake the device into the ground, 5) adjust the panel and the light so that the light aims where you want it and the panel gets the most exposure to the sun. 

 -the device recharges quickly. 

 -it is waterproof,

 -it works in very cold temperatures. We just had a stretch of below zero days and the light worked perfectly. 

 

The Hoont spotlight placed next
to my Bic pen for the purposes of
size comparison.

-it can be easily moved for mowing or trimming.,

 -This would be great to take camping. 

 -It turns itself on and off automatically. 

-Recharges in 8 hours of sunlight.

 Negatives: 

 It does not shine throughout the night. Granted, we are in February and there are more dark hours than light hours right now, but it would be great to use this as a dependable security light. 

 -HOONT says that the batteries will last 18 months and then will need to be replaced. The battery case has screws so it should be easy enough but...who knows? 

I was skeptical when I first saw this product but it does work.

At the time of my review, each light was $22.95 on Amazon.com. Click here to check on current pricing:The Hoont™ Bright Outdoor LED Solar Spotlight / Solar Powered Outdoor Light  

Note: I received one free light to try out in order to write an honest review.

SOLO Urban Universal Tablet Sling

A very well made, basic laptop bag.

My job has provided me with an 11.6 inch Chromebook and I was just sliding it in a cloth satchel I have and protecting it with the papers I carry home to grade. But, that never seemed to be a smart choice. So, when I was offered a chance to test this computer bag I was glad to actually carry my Chromebook properly.

Positives:

-This bag is well-constructed. The stitching seems strong, the zippers feel solid. 

-The bag is padded but not overly so - it does not feel like it would take a fall from a tall building but it has enough padding that you can plop the bag down on a desktop and not worry about cracking open your laptop.

-It is sized for the smaller laptop, which is good if you have one - small laptops just slide around in the bigger bags and scrunch up your papers.

-The shoulder strap adjusts easily but does not move on its own.

-The two smaller outer pockets are generous enough to hold my wireless mouse, my cell phone, my kindle and the charger cord for the Chromebook.

Negatives:

-The bag does not have a lot of extra space for anything besides the laptop in the main pocket. You can bring a legal pad and a folder or two but not much else.

Bottom line, this is a very well made, basic laptop bag.

Note: I received a free bag through the Amazon Vine Program in exchange for an honest review. 

At the time this review was written, this bag was $29.99 on Amazon.com. Click here for current pricing: SOLO Urban Universal Tablet Sling, Grey (UBN210-10)

I rate this bag 4 stars out of 5. 

ACCTREND Wireless Mouse

    Good Wireless Mouse for Every Day Use

I needed a wireless mouse for work to use with my Chromebook that my school provided because I really hate using the touch pad. I teach in a high school so I needed a mouse that was solid, dependable and not too expensive because sometimes high school students take stuff that is not tied down too well (and a wireless mouse is, by definition, not tied down). 

The mouse, the dongle and my Bic pen for size comparison.

I already had a small, wired travel mouse but it is so small that I find it uncomfortable to use (but still better than the touch pad) and I found this mouse to be a great improvement. The mouse is very comfortable to use and while this mouse is probably not precise enough for intensive gamers to use, it is certainly more than enough for the data entry type of work I do when I take attendance and enter grades into the online grade book. 

It takes AAA batteries and it goes to sleep to save battery power. At first I had a hard time waking the mouse up by shaking it back and forth. But, I figured out to just push the scroll button in the middle and it wakes right up. It also has an on-off switch on the bottom of the mouse so it can safely travel without using up your batteries by getting jostled around and being woke up. 

I rate this every day mouse 5 stars out of a possible 5 stars.

As of the time of this review, this mouse cost $11.39 on Amazon.com. Click here to check current pricing: ACCTREND Wireless Mouse .

Note: I received a mouse for free in order to test it so that I could write an honest review.

Cootree® Wireless Bluetooth FM Transmitter, Multifunction Car Kit with Hands-Free Calling, Music Controlling, Radio Adapter and USB Charging Port for Smartphone, iphone, ipad

If you are like me then you have an older car without an audio in adapter built in to the dashboard of the car so you cannot plug your smart phone or tablet or mp3 player into the car stereo and play your own music or audiobooks in digital format.

This device attaches to your device via Bluetooth and then transmits what your phone is playing to your vehicle's radio and plays it over a frequency of your choosing so that you can hear what you want to hear over your car's stereo system.

The Cootree Bluetooth FM Transmiiter with the "head"
detached. The USB charger is on the base close to
the back of the pen. The pen is there for size comparison.
Photo by DWD.

What you do is plug the base of this very odd looking device into your cigarette lighter/adapter and use the removable "head" to dial into an FM station that is as far away as possible from any FM station on the dial. Then, make sure that your car's radio is set to the exact same station on the dial. If you do not pick a spot on the dial that is far away from an existing station you will hear your music and the radio station at the same time.

The base has a USB port so that your smart phone or tablet can be charged while it is Bluetooth streaming (or not - it does not have to be in Bluetooth mode to be charging). The "head" is attached by magnets. It detaches easily but it does not just fall off - the magnet is strong enough but not too strong.

So, how does it work? That depends on a lot of things, including the device that you are streaming from. In my case, when my phone plays back audio that is stored on the phone itself it plays back about 30% quieter than audio that is streamed. So, when I tried to play an audiobook that was stored on my phone I was underwhelmed - in fact I could not clearly hear what was being said. But, when I played streaming music, I was much happier. It is not perfect, but it is very good. 

For me, the bigger issue was finding a space on the radio dial where radio stations did not bleed into the spot I was trying to use. I live in a medium-sized city and we have a lot of stations. In a bigger city I can only imagine that this issue would be worse. 

The phone feature works but, once again, this depends on your situation. If your car is noisy, like mine is at highway speeds, this would not be a good option. 

At the time of this review, this device cost $34.99. Click here to check current pricing: Cootree® Wireless Bluetooth FM Transmitter.

I rate this device 4 stars out of 5. 

Note: I received a sample copy of this device for testing purposes in order to create an honest review of the product.

Smart Weigh Precision Digital Vanity / Bathroom Scale, "Smart Step-On" Technology, Tempered Glass Platform and Large Backlight Display by Smart Weigh

First, before I talk about anything else, I want to state the obvious - this is a distinctive bathroom scale. I have never thought of a bathroom scale as something that could be stylish, but this one certainly is eye-catching.

The Smart Weigh Precision Digital Vanity/Bathroom Scale
with a Bic pen for size comparison. Photo by DWD.

Of course, what makes this scale so distinctive is that it is made out of tempered glass. This is a tough glass, comparable to what you would find in cookwear. This scale can take weights up to 330 pounds. The booklet that comes with the scale notes that you should avoid weights above that on the scale, not because of the glass but because it can mess up the electronics underneath.

The scale has a backlit display (about one inch tall) that is easy to read while you are standing on the scale. 

The scale can be adjusted by the push of a button to display weight in pounds, kilograms or in stones (it was news to me that anybody used "stones" anymore).

The only negative is that this scale uses what most people would call "watch batteries" rather than AA or AAA batteries. Even if the watch batteries last longer than AAA batteries, most people have easy access to AAA batteries so they are much easier to replace.

At the time of this writing, this scale sells for $18.97 on Amazon.com. You can click here to check on current pricing: Smart Weigh Precision Digital Vanity / Bathroom Scale.

I rate this scale 4 out of 5 stars. I took off one star for the inconvenient battery size.

Note: I received a scale from a vendor for testing purposes in exchange for an honest review.

MPOW 40W/5A 5-Port Ultra Portable Multiple USB Wall Charger Travel Power Adapter with Xsmart Technology

                      I LOVE IT!

The multiple USB wall charger is billed as being great for travelers (which I am sure it is because it is certainly hard to find enough outlets to plug in chargers for GPS systems, phones, kindles, travel batteries and Bluetooth headsets in a hotel room if you are sharing your room).

But, if you are like me than you are quickly discovering that your house was not built to charge up all of the rechargeable devices that you have accumulated over the last couple of years. There just are not enough outlets in convenient places to charge up everything. This "travel" wall charger has quickly become an indispensable part of my daily tech life.

The MPOW charger with my Bic pen for size comparison.
Photo by DWD

Weighing in at about half of a pound, roughly the size of a pack of cigarettes and coming with an almost 4 foot long detachable cord, this device is very simple to operate and would not be difficult to pack along on a trip.  Just plug it in to the wall, plug in up to 5 USB chargers and voila, you are charging. You do not have to make any adjustments or use certain plugs for certain devices. The device comes with something that it calls "Xsmart" technology that determines what level of charge to put into your device. It can be Android or Apple.

The wording in the product description says that it can charge up to 2.4 amps per port or up to 8 amps overall. That means that overall charging speed can be slowed down if you plug in more devices (depending on how many amps they pull). This is unlikely to be an issue if you are charging overnight, like me. If you are plugging into an airport plug and trying to quickly charge 5 devices simultaneously, you will notice the performance loss. Of course, if you do the math, you should be able to charge 3 devices at full speed (2.4 amps x 3 = 7.2 amps which is less than the 8 amp max).

As of the time of this review, this device cost $26.99. Please follow this link to obtain current pricing information:Mpow® 40W/8A 5-Port Ultra Portable Multiple USB Wall Charger Family-Sized Desktop Power Adapter with Xsmart™ Technology

I rate this device 5 stars out of 5.

Note: I received a free sample of this device so that I could try it out and write an honest review.

Credit Card Knife - Tactical Folding Knife by Muzitao©

The knife as it would be in your wallet
with a Bic pen for size comparison.

This is one of the most creative little gadgets that I have ever held in my hand. The premise is simple - a knife that folds up to the size of a credit card (actually the width of two credit cards) so you can carry it around in your wallet.

First, flip the blade...

A pocket knife is a handy thing but you can't always carry one around. This knife, though, is so easy to carry around that you can forget that you are carrying it because it's tucked right in there with stuff you literally can't leave the house without - your money, your charge card and your driver's license. 

Lock in the two parts of the folding
handle...

To use the knife, take it out of your wallet, unlock the blade and then fold the blade back over the card. Then, you flip and lock down the two pieces of the handle and you have your knife.

So, how good is the knife? This blade is very, very sharp. I wouldn't want to use this knife for a lot of cutting - you are not going to filet a fish or do a lot of

The knife, assembled.

whittling with this knife. This is strictly for convenience. Now, keep in mind that I mostly use it for opening up those annoying clear plastic packages that are so hard to get into and for breaking down boxes and the like, but this knife is super-sharp - impressively so. There is a finger guard but it is not very substantial. 

I rate this knife 5 stars out of 5 for its simple convenience. 

Click here to check current pricing at Amazon.com: Black Credit Card Knife (Silver Blade) Best Tactical Folding Knives by Muzitao©
Note: I received a sample to test in exchange for an honest review.