For all the greatness of Wi-Fi, wired ethernet is typically faster and more stable. In my new house, I had CAT6 ran to every TV location to hardwire all of my Rokus. In one of the rooms, we decided that we wanted to swap the TV location to another part of the room. I ordered a 45-foot roll of flat CAT6 cable.…
One of the major annoyances with my new car it is that it supports Bluetooth, but not Bluetooth audio. Thankfully, the car at least has an AUX port. I could use a 3.5mm cord, but I wanted to ditch cords altogether. The Miccus Mini-jack RX solves this problem. It plugs into the AUX port, then connects to your phone via Bluetooth. It's battery powered,…
As much as I love my iPhone and iPad, their limited storage space makes traveling feel like a juggling act. Do I transfer this movie or that movie? Should I delete several podcasts to make room? Which games can I bear getting rid of? Forget all the data juggling and just get a Kingston MobileLite Wireless. This portable media reader can take…
Navdy (coming early 2015) is an intriguing little heads-up display that mounts on your car dash. As their Sandwich-produced video explains, Navdy is capable of many things: Real-time turn-by-turn navigation instructions. Displaying things like your current speed, RPM, or fuel economy. Displays texts (which you can reply to using your voice) and other notifications from your phone. Much safer than staring at…
After yesterday's post about the NomadPlus external battery, reader Josh Hogan wrote in with another suggestion: the Trent iCarrier. It doesn't come with a wall adapter of its own, but it has other advantages: 12,000mAh power capacity, meaning it can charge your iPhone and iPad a couple times each before needing its own recharge. If you have just an iPhone, you could…
(Readers, take note of the promo code at the end of this post.) There are a number of ways to deal with device battery life issues while traveling. I personally like using a Mophie Juice Pack Air on my iPhone because I can just flip the power switch when I need a boost. It does have its downsides though: Not everyone wants…
As the title suggests, the Kanex DoubleUp is a wall adapter that accepts two USB cables. It's powerful enough to charge two iPads relatively quickly, thanks to each USB port's 10.5-watt output, and it has helpful status LEDs on the front to let you know if your device is fully charged (green) or still charging (orange). I like that it's small enough…
The Synology Diskstation DS213j NAS—recently reviewed by our own editor Shawn Blanc—is an excellent way of storing all the stuff on your home network. With two drive bays that can handle up to 10 TB of HDD storage, a gigabit internet connection, and a boat-load of add-on apps, there are so many ways to use the DS213j. Just a few examples: Family…
The bttn is an interesting little gizmo that reminds me of a Griffin PowerMate but without the volume-dial component. What looks like a simple colored button (hence the name) is actually a web-connected device capable of executing interesting commands, similar to those of one of our favorite services, IFTTT. In fact, IFTTT is a service bttn is capable of tying into, along…
The iGrill 2 is a Bluetooth-enabled grilling thermometer designed for pros and serious enthusiasts but simple enough for amateur grillers to use. Building on the design and features of the original iGrill, the iGrill 2 has upped its probe capacity from 2 to 4 (though it only comes with two) and can now be magnetically mounted onto the side of your grill…
This one could come in handy for those of you lucky enough to be at WWDC this week. The Limefuel Blast is a handy external battery pack for charging a full-sized iPad, iPad mini, or iPhone while on the go. It can charge two devices at once, even while being charged itself. When the battery isn't being recharged (which should be most…
This 5-port USB charger by Anker gets everything right. It lets you charge up to five gadgets at once—iPads, iPhones, Kindles, cameras, you name it—and intelligently adjusts the output of each port based on whatever's connected (or disconnected, for that matter). Awesome for families with a lot of stuff to charge. It draws very little power while idle, and it has built-in…
I only buy peanut butter of the all-natural variety, meaning the only ingredients are roasted peanuts and salt. The stuff is delicious, but it separates in the jar and it can be a pain (sometimes even a mess) to stir it back together. That is, until I discovered this peanut butter mixer. It's a curved mixing rod that pokes through a "lid"…
The Orée Board 2 is a wireless, super-light, wooden keyboard crafted from a single piece of walnut or maple. It can pair with up to five different devices at the same time via Bluetooth, and its surface is coated with a varnish that protects it from finger oil and liquid spills. After being carved, each board is polished, oil-rubbed, and assembled by…
The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover remains one of my favorite iPad accessories. The one I own is practically a part of my iPad at this point, and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in using their iPad as a primary writing device. Logitech produced a version of the Ultrathin for iPad Air last Fall, but now there is a new-and-improved edition that…
Embue is a new Kickstarter project that aims to replace your thermostat, but not just with a single unit like Nest. Embue has sensors that can be placed in every room, giving it a much better overview of your home or office's temperature and humidity. And like Nest, Embue can learn from your habits and make adjustments as needed for optimal comfort.…
If you love your iMac but hate having to reach around the back to use its USB ports, the Bluelounge Jimi is for you. The idea is simple: the Jimi plugs into the back of the iMac and curves underneath to give you an easily accessible, front-facing USB slot. It ain't the prettiest solution in the world, but it works. $15 at…
As much as I love the Cosmonaut stylus, some note-taking situations call for a...finer touch. The Adonit Jot Script — Evernote Edition is about as close as you can get to writing on your iPad with a real pen (something I do not condone). Its mere 1.9mm tip would normally cause issues with iPad detection, but Adonit has solved that problem by…
Another Amazon gadget? This is getting weird. Amazon Dash is a supplementary device for members of the AmazonFresh delivery service (currently only available in certain zip codes of San Francisco, Southern California, and Seattle). It's a neat way to shop for groceries and other household items without leaving home. Out of milk? Scan the empty carton's barcode. Plan on making cookies soon?…
As any seasoned traveler knows, it isn't always easy to find enough power outlets to charge your various devices. It's also not very economical to carry an entire power strip around in your bag. This is where the Monster Outlets to Go 4-Outlet Power Strip comes in handy, despite it's overly long name. It sports four outlets (two on each side) in…