Tree New Bee® Laptop Cooling Pad

It seems anymore we’re having to supplement the build of the gadgets we buy because manufacturers cut corners or put just the bare minimum needed to get by. Such is the case, frequently, with laptops and their cooling fans. But a whole niche market has popped up to fill the need, and I’m now quite fond of my Tree New Bee Laptop Cooling Pad.

It wasn’t easy to get me to move away from my adjustable desk with it’s fans, but there are times where my desk wasn’t going to fit where I needed it to go, adjustable or not. So I was thrilled to find the Tree New Bee cooling pad was small and light enough to fit almost anywhere, and go almost anywhere. It has little legs in the back to prop the keyboard area up to more comfortable and ergonomic angle, and little arms in the front to keep your laptop from gradually sliding off the pad. The pad is lightweight plastic and some metal, and if I had one complaint it’s that there’s a great deal of flex in the panels, causing it to impact the fan. I also don’t understand the purpose of the LED lights. The fan plugs in to and standard-sized USB port on your laptop, so these lights just serve to drain the battery a little more. I did like that the plug is a pass -through design, so you don’t even lose a USB port while you use the cooling pad. That’s putting some thought into the design, and I appreciate it. I may disassemble the unit and disconnect them, but the do look shiny and bright, if that’s what your going for. The Tree New Bee laptop pad is also whisper quiet. You absolutely cannot hear it at all over ambient noise, which is a major plus from my old adjustable desk fans. You can really feel the temperature difference on the bottom of the laptop.

At only $13.99, it’s a great value to protect the (sometimes very significant) investment made into your laptop. Extreme heat is the mortal enemy of all the most important components, and the Tree New Bee Cooling Pad is the mortal enemy of heat. It will extend the life of your laptop and you’ll wonder how you got along with it before! With a full 1-year warranty, it’s definitely worth a look-see and find out if a laptop cooling pad is just what the computer doctor ordered!

Connect with Tree New Bee:

• On Amazon

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Tree New Bee. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

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HouseParty: Chromecast with a side of Game of Thrones Premeire Event and #Review #ChromecastGOT #Sponsored

It always seems like the best shows take forever to come back, and Game of Thrones, Season 6 was no different. Pretty soon I will start forgetting what happened the season before if they keep doing this! I knew (spoiler alert!!!!) Jon Snow was killed but was unsure if he would stay dead, plus all the other stuff with all the families….okay, it’s starting to sound like a soap opera but this one is always a bloody one, which I tend to enjoy shows like this. When Houseparty said Game of Thrones party, plus Chromecast……I just heard the first part and said yes and told myself I’ll learn about the second part.

I already own a “stick” from another company, so even though we went so long getting rid of antennas you could see on television sets, here we go sticking devices on them again. I will say at least these “bunny ears” need no foil, or someone to hold them (did I just date myself here?). Chromecast is another device used for streaming, which just plugs in via an HDMI port on your television. You need a Wi-Fi network and Chromecast also has an app for phones (or mobile devices), and computer. Easy to install and disconnect…..but what does it do? Well it opens up a new world of entertainment from movies, television shows (both new and old), to sporting events, music and even games. You are also not limited when it comes to viewing from streaming sites like:

• YouTube
• NetFlix
• Hulu
• HBO Now
• Showtime Anytime
• MLB.TV
• to Watch ESPN and More!
• There are over 200,000 movies and TV shows at your fingertips, plus millions of songs to access. Okay, that is a lot!

Retail Price Point: At just $35, Chromecast allows you to cast from your iPhone, iPad, any Android device or laptop and television. You can learn more here about what Chromecast.  HBO Now is just $14.99 a month and no television package is required!  Plus, HBO Now offers a free trial for new members.

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What comes with your Chromecast:

1. One Chromecast Unit (You can pick from black, coral or lemonade). Available at places like Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Staples and the Google Store. Coral and Lemonade are exclusive colors to the Google Store.
2. One Power cable
3. One Power adapter

• Ports/Connectors needed-
  HDMI
  Micro-USB
• Resolution- 1080p

Game of Thrones Map

Game of Thrones Journal

Verdict:

I already have HBO, so that means I have HBO Go but decided to check out HBO Now for this premiere event.  Sunday gets here and I have planned for this event all week.  I wanted to serve something new and out of the ordinary, so I went with Lobster Raviolis on a bed of spinach, with large prawns.  Needed something round (Hey, the Chromecast is round in shape), so went with a homemade pizza, topped with sausage, pepperoni, bell peppers, red onion on a bed of 4 different cheese blends.  Call it the Stark Pizza, if the Stark family served pizza 🙂 Plugging in the Chromecast is really as easy as plug and go.  I know many of these units sometimes state this and then when you get ready to be entertained, half the entertainment is getting them to work.  We experienced zero issues with connecting, our Wifi network being recognized and watching.  The Chroecast also plays nice with the surround sound system, so you do not lose the quality of sound if you have a home system and the resolution was as beautiful as ever.  So, Game of Thrones comes on and the first episode of season 6 starts playing.  I thought I would have more of my questions answered but I ended up with more questions at the end of the episode.  My weeks now seem longer until Sunday arrives again!  Being part of this event was fun because Houseparty included a nice journal to keep and I got to play with a new device.  I like being able to see what these units bring and will be signing up to one of the movie streams (30-day free trial) because of it.  I figured give them a try again since I was happy staying connecting, which when I first tried the service, that was not as easy before with another unit.  The price point for everything the Chromecast brings to your television and other devices makes it an affordable purchase, plus not trying to find room for another box on the entertainment console is very much appreciated.

Pizza a la Stark

Lobster Raviolis with Grilled Prawns

 

Connect with Chromecast and HBO at:

• Chromecast
• Chromecast (Google Store)
• HBO Now
• HBO Now on Facebook
• HBO Now on Twitter
• Game of Thrones
• #ChromecastGOT #GameOfThrones #HBONow #Sponsored #HouseParty

 

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Chromecast and HBO. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

FSL Xylem In-Ear Monitors

 

So I’ve had quite a few headphones I’ve reviewed on here. Most are completely adequate, with passable sound and mostly work with all my devices with minimal hiccups. I was ready to lump Future Sound Lab’s wooden in-ear monitors with them; All sizzle and very little steak. I was wrong. FSL earbuds are the goods. Let me share why.

FSL uses a solid piece of eco-friendly wood for each ear, which is sonically superior to plastic and metal. It’s drivers deliver solid, quality sound with good bass response and sharp, clear highs. I would say they easily have superior sound than earbuds I’ve paid twice as much for. The wire is thin, but not so prone to tangles as some products out there. The microphone pics up voices well and does a decent job of filtering out ambient noise. The gold-plated 3.5mm connector snaps in solidly to all my devices, from laptops to tablets to phones to MP3 players. The controls work with every mobile device I own, which is a first. FSL even includes 3 different sizes of silicone tips to accommodate pretty much every ear size.

The hits don’t stop there, though. FSL includes a neat self-closing neoprene case to carry my earbuds everywhere, and keep them shmutz free. Because let’s be honest, nothing is nastier than sticking earbuds in your ear with all manner of crud stuck to the silicone tips. But wait, there’s more! FSL believes so much in the quality of their in-ear monitors, the back them with a 3-year warranty and lifetime support for customers. Now that is impressive. Good luck getting anything more than 90 days of warranty from most consumer electronics. For under $13, you are seriously getting more than your money’s worth. I can’t tell you how many earbuds I’ve tried in this price range and been horribly disappointed more times than I can count. These are the best ones in this price range I’ve tried, and better than sets costing twice as much. I’m glad I got to try them, and I recommend them highly.

Connect with FSL:

• Online
• On Amazon

I received the above product(s) free of charge from FSL.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

Sentey B-Trek H9 Bluetooth Headphones w/Mic Ls-4560

 

So, it seems when Sentey makes a product that hits, it hits a home run. But sometimes, it’s just a foul ball over the left field fence. Not quite a homerun but a solid hit none the less. This is one of those. You’ll recall from my last Sentey Flow headset review, the sound was nothing to write home about. These B-Trek Bluetooth headphones fix that in spades. The sound is pretty good. The 40mm drivers have even tones, decent bass, and don’t sound tinny or blown out. Wired or wireless, the sound is quality. These are Bluetooth V4.0 compatible, and have been tested to work solidly with my laptop, hubby’s Nexus tablet, and our phone. It holds the connection well too. Where it falls short, again, is in the “gaming” category.

See, the last thing I want to hear is the carnage and destruction inherent to one of hubby’s Battlefield 4 multiplayer sessions. Especially while I’m painting my nails. And we thought this headset would be the solution. But, despite pairing with the Playstaion 3 with ease, try as we might we could not get sound through these headphones to save our lives from the unit. Not for the game, for Amazon Prime videos, for music…nothing. Just static and ticking. It was a huge let down. We have an email in to Sentey about this, but as of this writing we have yet to hear back*. If you want a decent set of bluetooth headphones that won’t break the bank, these fit the bill. If you want it for PS3 (or PS4, one assumes) gaming, you might want to look elsewhere.

I don’t feel the lack of PS3 support should be a dealbreaker. The sound is good, they seem well constructed and of better materials than the Sentey Flow headset I mentioned previously. They also fold up for travel, come with a spiffy hard-ish travel case that holds the headset, the charging cable and the 3.5mm wired connection. The wired connection also works without having the lithium polymer battery charged (Sentey reports battery life of over 8 hours!), so your tunes aren’t dependent on your battery either. You have play, pause, skip and volume controls on the headset as well (device support dependent, obviously), which is nice. They fit my head, and even hubby’s big ‘ol pumpkin head, so they should fit just about everyone nicely. The ear cushion cups are snug enough for workouts or light jogging, but know that prolonged listening during these activities might cause some trapped perspiration, but the upside is there’s very little sound bleed from the earpieces. They were comfortable to wear and not so heavy that you feel like your head weighs an extra 10lbs. Overall we’re fans of these Sentey B-Trek Bluetooth Headphones, but there’s definitely room for some improvement here.

*A quick note: I attempted on 2 separate occasions to get some support from Sentey about the PS3/Bluetooth issue. Both went unaswered. I’m dismayed that, knowing this product was sent as promotion and knowing that I would review it, and their after-sales support, they ignored me. Maybe they’d be better about product support with a paying customer, but I’ll leave my readers to draw their own conclusions here. Major disappointment for us, though.

Connect with Sentey:

• On the web
• On Facebook
• On Twitter
• On YouTube
• on Flickr
• On Amazon

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Sentey.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.