Hubby is a “Watch Guy”. We all know them, some of us love them. They like and collect watches. Sometimes to an unhealthy degree. And I’ll be honest, while I’ve picked up some of the nomenclature and in’s and out’s of watches, I’ll never be a “Watch Gal”. So I’ll abdicate the bulk of this review to him, because he’ll be able to touch on things that I might miss. So, since we’re a team, here we go…
LG Watch W7 SmartWatch Powered by Google WearOS #Ad
22 Dec 2018 Leave a comment
in Electronics, Exercise, Fashion, Gadgets, Jewelry, Product testing, Review, Tech Tags: #ad, @BestBuy, @LGUSAMobile, gadgets, gifts, Google, Google WearOS, http://bby.me/8yqyj, LG W7 Smartwatch, model # W315, smartwatch, Tech, upc 652810801676, watch
Soft Digits’ 50-In-1 Accessory Kit for GoPros & Action Cameras
07 Sep 2016 Leave a comment
in Electronics, Exercise, Family, Gadgets, Home, Living, Movies, Outdoors, Product testing, Review, Tech, Tomoson Product Reviews Tags: action cam, ASIN B0169T94KC, camera, camera accessories, electronics, gadgets, go pro mounts, gopro, gopro hero+, sjcam, Tech
It seems everyone and their brother has some sort of body cam, action cam, or GoPro. And while I finally broke down and got one too, you quickly find out that you need accessories to make the most of your action camera experience. Soft Digits wants to make that happen with their affordably-priced 50-in-one accessory kit.
There’s a lot to like about this kit, and it has enough goodies to fit, mount or wear your action camera just about anywhere. The high-gloss plastic mounts are a little on the rigid side and I have some concerns about durability with repeated snapping in and out of the mounts, but as I’m not doing any “extreme” sporting with my camera, I’m not too worried. The elastic on a few of the body and wrist mounts have started having issues with retaining their elasticity, but that might be because their meant for smaller bodies that Hubby’s. The 50 pieces are really closer to 30 as well, because the 3M adhesive strips and other adhesive bits amount to nearly 20 of the total pieces. The lens cap/cover doesn’t fit my brand of camera housing (mine isn’t a GoPro), and a couple of the pieces don’t fit together as well as they probably should. In the end, my $30 action camera isn’t going to be a huge loss should any of the accessories in this kit fail, but I would be a little wary about a 3, 4, or 500 dollar camera being lost or damaged because one of the bits in this kit failed.
The way I see it, for my cheapie action camera, these are dynamite. A bunch of mounts to see what works for me and what doesn’t, and a zip-up carry case that hold most of it safely (seriously, don’t try to fit it all back in with your camera, because it won’t zip closed). And all at a price that doesn’t break my bank. But if you do major adventuring or extreme sports with your camera, and invested a good chunk of change into it, you might want to get higher-quality accessories, because these are fine for the occasional casual user like me, but the serious enthusiast will be disappointed in the quality.
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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Soft Digits. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. I received no other compensation in exchange for my review. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.
Smarson WIFI HD Digital Action Sports Camera
30 Aug 2016 Leave a comment
in Electronics, Exercise, Family, Gadgets, Home, Kids, Living, Movies, Outdoors, Product testing, Review, Sports, Tech, Tomoson Product Reviews Tags: 1.5: TFT LCD, 1080p, 170 degree lens, 30 meter water resistance, 30fps, 60fps, 720p, Amazon, Amazon Products, amazon reviews, amazon.com, and driving mode, ASIN B01CNT2K44, built-in wifi, camera, Compact, continuous shooting, electronics, Full HD, gadgets, go pro hero, gopro, gopro hero+, HD action cam, HD camera, lcd screen, Samrson, self-timer, Smarson action cam, Smarson HD camera, Tech, Tech Accessories, time lapse, Tomoson, Tomoson Products, Tomoson Reviews, tomoson.com, treble shot function, Water Resistant, wide angle lens, wifi action cam
You know a product is a hit when there are countless imitators and knock-offs of your innovation. Sometimes, it’s a product slapped together to cash in on a craze and it’s junk. Sometimes, it’s about making a quality product that comes in at a fraction of the price to open the market to buyers who’d never have thought about, say, an HD action camera before. Smarson isn’t the former, it’s definitely the latter.
We got a cheap-o HD action cam this summer to play around in the pool with the dog and record the memories. Sadly, though “Bresser” claimed full HD, the picture quality was poor, with washed out color and grainy video. And that was where Smarson’s camera shined. The picture was crystal-clear in outdoor light and there was no judder with quick “action” scenes (As much action as a 12 year-old dog can muster!). And there was a host of accessories included to make mounting your camera on nearly any surface possible. At 12 mp, and full 1080p (1920 x 1080) recording (30fps), you get all the clarity of high definition recording, or you can downgrade your image to 720p and go up to 60fps for great slo-mo. you get mutiple shooting modes, (treble shot function, time lapse, continuous shooting, self-timer, and driving mode), a 170 degree wide angle lens, and a similar user interface to the industry leader, the GoPro series of cameras. And, at this price point, you also get WiFi capabilities via Smarson’s iSmartDV App (for iOS and Android 4.4 and up), which is a real bonus to me, even if the range for the wifi is pretty limited (around 10-15 feet, line of sight). It’s small but rugged, and the build seems solid, unlike the other bargain brand action cam I tried that felt flimsy and the battery cover would constantly fall off. The included lucite case is dust and dirt proof and water-resistant up to 30 meters. My pool is only 9 feet deep, so I can safely say from experience it’s solid up to 9 feet! The included 3.7v 900mAh battery is rated for as much as 90 minutes of continuous recording, Thought I’ve gotten up to three hours of off-and-on recording in one afternoon with juice left after. But never worry, the camera will run off the included micro-USB cable and wall adapter, so you’re never without juice. I also had good success with up to a 32gb micro-SD card, and on that card you could record and store a few hours of full HD videos.
And while there is plenty of bang for your buck here, a couple of things are not particularly great. At the $50 price point, you get a lot of value, and a cheap 4gb micro SD card should really be included like most action cams do at this price point, so you can go right out of the box. And while almost every GoPro accessory should work perfect with this awesome Smarson HD Action Cam, the battery is non-standard and getting a replacement or spare might prove troublesome. Also, the 1.5″ TFT LCD at the rear is soooo tiny, with the screen to bezel ratio being almost 50-50. But, again, the value here is undeniable and the quality for the price is top-notch. I feel the positives far outweigh the negatives enough that this Smarson camera earns a full 5 stars from me.
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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Samrson. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. I received no other compensation in exchange for my review. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.
MLVOC Wireless Doorbell Set (White)
28 Jun 2016 Leave a comment
in Electronics, Gadgets, Home, Product testing, Review, Tech, Tomoson Product Reviews Tags: #MLVOCWirelessDoorbell, Amazon, Amazon Products, amazon reviews, amazon.com, ASIN B01E6YDSW2, Chimes, Door Chimes & Bells, doorbell, electrical, electronics, gadgets, home, home improvement, Part Number MLVOC-W-001, Tech, Tomoson, Tomoson Products, Tomoson Reviews, tomoson.com, wireless
Our front courtyard has a gate, and though we’ve painted the decorative scrolls around the doorbell a bright contrasting color, for whatever reason UPS, FedEx, the USPS and nearly every other delivery person seems to miss the doorbell on the gate. I can’t count the times we’ve missed deliveries or had them delayed because of this. Thanks to this MLVOC Wireless Doorbell set, that’s now a thing of the past!
A bright white with shiny chrome trim, I don’t think anyone will be missing this doorbell unless they’re actively trying to do so. It light’s a soft blue when the button is pressed, and with the included adhesive pad, you can mount it just about anywhere. For a more traditional mount MLVOC included screws and anchors as well. For us, Hubby will probably make some kind of removable fitting so that it can be moved to paint the gate, or taken down in inclement weather, because let’s face it: though rain is uncommon in Southern California, when it does rain, it’ll soak and ruin this doorbell. What I like as well is that you can move the receiver to an outdoor location if, say, you’re doing an outdoor project or in the garage where you might not hear the normal doorbell. All you need is an electrical outlet and you’re golden. The volume is easily adjustable from the toggle button on the side of the receiver, and you can choose from a whopping 36 different chimes and tunes. The battery in the button portion is easily replaceable, and none of those tiny button cells that are hard to find sometimes, just a simple tiny 12v battery like you’d use in a car alarm fob. It transmitted easily all the way to the back of my house, and into the yard on an extension cord as well. MLVOC claims it’s good up to 1000 ft. on open ground as well, so you’re good to go in almost any residential suburban home.
There are some things we buy just to make out life a little easier, and I can safely say this is one of them. I don’t know why I didn’t pick up something like this MLVOC Wireless Doorbell Set before, but I can tell you I’m thrilled I did, and I think you will be too!
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I received the above product(s) free of charge from MLVOC. 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.
HouseParty Chatterbox: HP Envy 5540 All-in-One Printer with HP Instant Ink #HPInstantChat
03 Jun 2016 Leave a comment
in Electronics, Gadgets, Home, Product testing, Review, Tech Tags: ##HPInstantInkChat #sponsored, #HPInstantChat, all-in-one, all-in-one printers, ASIN: B013SKI49W, at home printing, ChatterBox, computer accessories, computer peripherals, document printers, electronics, fax machine, gadgets, hewlett-packard, hewlett-packard printers, HouseParty, HP Instant Ink, Item model number: K7C85A#B1H, photo printers, printer, printers, scanner copier, Tech, technology
With all the advances in computers recently, sometimes it feels like printers are being left a little behind. HP sought to try to remedy that by updating it’s venerable Envy series of printers with a touch screen, wireless capabilities, cloud printing and HP’s service, HP Instant Ink.
I found the HP Envy 5540 AIO printer fell a little short almost everywhere, and way short in some places. To start, I’m not a fan of the “Instant Ink” service. Not only does it have a lot of intrusive, near constant pop-ups, but it wants to order ink way before the current cartridge is depleted. Not only that, it wants me to order paper, photo paper, and it does it every time you connect. That alone would have led me to box it up and take it right back. HP wants to claim “photo lab-quality prints” on pictures, and while the included photo sample paper made for a lovely print, it was obvious even to my untrained eye that I printed it at home. And HP’s yield for their ink is still near the bottom of the pack. The scanner wasn’t a lot better, but gave me good results for documents. There’s also no feed tray at the top for copies, faxes, or scans, just the flatbed, which after about 10 pages gets tiresome. Lastly, the minuscule monochrome touchscreen controls are frustratingly small. My hands were fine, but Hubby’s sausage fingers had him ready to pull his hair out. With everything tech under the sun having a big, bright color touchscreen, this is nigh unforgivable.
On the plus side, it grabs and holds the wifi signal, a clear improvement from the last HP Envy I tried out. It’s fairly quick to print, especially plain text black and white. The setup was painless, and going back to just two ink cartridges after using the 4 required for my Brother All In One printer was a welcome relief. And while Hubby found the touchscreen on the “too small” side, I didn’t have any issues entering commands and found the interface very user friendly. And while I liked some things a lot, the things I disliked weighed more heavily on my mind because while they weren’t the kind of things that make the printer useless, they’re annoying enough to me that I wouldn’t have bought, kept or highly recommended this printer to anyone. HP has always made good to great hardware hamstrung by bad to awful software, and it seems this printer is no exception to this rule. In the end, I went back to my Brother printer, and this is coming from someone who had only had HP printers for over a decade.Whether these things would be deal breakers for you is something you’ll have to decide for yourself.
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I received the above product(s) free of charge from House Party/Chatterbox/HP. 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.
Uno Noteband Wearable Tech
31 May 2016 Leave a comment
in Clothing, Electronics, Exercise, Health and Beauty, Product Samples, Product testing, Review, Tech, Tomoson Product Reviews Tags: #UnoNoteband, Amazon, ASIN: B01C36CGQE, electfonics, Item model number: Noteband, Tech, Tomoson, uno noteband, Waterproof: IPX4, wearable tech
I used to really go out of my way to paint even the least-together or not-quite-ready-for-prime-time companies in the best light. As the years wore on, people who didn’t even try or brought some junk product to market, bought by the gross and rebranded for sale to somewhat distinguish them from the identical competitor product bought from the exact same supplier wore me down. This is none of those, but my worldweariness about the way it played out is palpable at this point.
It took the Uno Noteband forever to get from concept to sale. lots of changes were made, and a few promises broken. But in the end, a few of us got a band to try out only to find the Android app wasn’t ready. And then, a couple of months later, the app finally appeared in the Google Store. Finally this neat bit of tech will do something. Except (cue tragic “waa, waaaa waaaauhhh” tune here) it didn’t work with my version of Android. A forthcoming update was promised, but those hope were misplced because now it won’t even let me download the app because it’s not designed for my Android version. I made several attempts to reach the Uno Noteband folks, but two messages in two weeks tells me I’ve got a fancy rubber and tech wristband that will light up and say hello periodically, and that’s it. I wouldn’t have paid $100 for this, and thankfully I didn’t, but cripes, guys. Get it togther already.
That’s all I can say, because without syncing the Noteband to my phone, it’s functionally useless. It promised a lot of the in fashion tech like syncing emails and social media, even some “fitbit” style features. That’s all pie in the sky and I don’t know when or if there’s any “fix” for my old phone coming my way, and since I wear out my tech to the point of uselessness, this phone has many miles to go before it sleeps. So, it’s a race to obsolescence between Uno’s Noteband and my old LG Opitmus l90. So it’ll sit in it’s pretty lucite case unil such time as I upgrade my phone. Sad, isn’t it, when a company doesn’t have the forsight to ask you what OS version is on your phone, and then stops answering when you need support. I’ll let you decide if this is a company you feel like investing in. My initial impression is “no”.

The only thing I ever read on my Noteband. 😦
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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Uno Noteband . 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.
Tree New Bee® Laptop Cooling Pad
08 May 2016 Leave a comment
in Electronics, Gadgets, Home, Product Samples, Product testing, Review, Tech, Tomoson Product Reviews Tags: #laptopcoolingpad, Amazon Products, amazon reviews, Amazon. Amazon.com, computer, computer accessories, computer cooling, electronic accessories, electronics, gadgets, laptop, laptop accessories, laptop cooling, LED lights, Tech, Tech Accessories, Tomoson Products, Tomoson Reviews, tomoson.com. tomoson, USB 3.0
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!
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- 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.
Last Man Survival Gear’s LED “Opti-Flood” Flashlight Set
05 Apr 2016 Leave a comment
in Electronics, Family, Gadgets, Home, Product testing, Review, Tech, Tomoson Product Reviews, Tools Tags: #OptFlood, 1 year replacement warranty, 1800 mAh, 18650 battery, 3.7v, adjustable, Amazon, Amazon Products, amazon reviews, amazon.com, ASIN: B015MFJ058, battery included, camping survival, cree XM-L2, electronics, flashlight, gadget, high lumen, hunting, impact resistant, included case, included charger, Last Man Survival Gear, led flashlight, li-ion battery, tactical, Tech, Tomoson, Tomoson Products, Tomoson Reviews, tomoson.com, torch, Water Resistant, zoomable
So, It’s been a while since I last reviewed a LED flashlight, mostly because after the OxyLED MD50 I reviewed here set the bar pretty high for overall quality and value, I was pretty well set. But the offer from Last Man Survival Gear was one I couldn’t refuse, and seemed tailor-made for mine and Hubby’s needs. And while there are some shortcomings, I can say with confidence that this set seems to be a decent value for the money!
Let’s just get this out of the way right here, though: Last Man brazenly claims their Opti-Flood lamp puts out 1200 lumens. Unless they somehow hooked it up to a car battery, I don’t see how it’s possible, because the included 18650 lithium ion cell ran the lamp just a shade brighter than the OxyLED M50 that claimed 500 lumens, and just slightly dimmer than Hubby’s Coast HP7 rated for 360 lumens. So, as long as you understand and accept that this Opti-Flood lamp will run at just under 360 lumens, you’ll be okay. The run time on a single charge is decent, and takes some time to notice any real dimming of the output. The color of the light is not the harsh, blue/purple color of the cheaper CREE knockoff LED’s, and is almost going into the “soft white” color range, even more so than the MD50. The focus is smooth and quick, but still goes into the square shape of the diode like so many of the budget lamps out there. Not a dealbreaker by any means. The throw is pretty good, with very minimal haloing or spill from the reflector. The Last Man Opti-Flood does tend to get a little warm fairly quickly, so I wouldn’t run it for very long periods of time. It will tail-stand easily, but lacks any deep knurling that would make the surface super grippy, and I would have liked something to keep the lamp from rolling when placed on it’s side, because it rolls quickly and easily. Lastly, there’s just off and on with the tail cap clicker, and while some might see that as a negative, I prefer it to the 3, 4, or 5 function lamps that require you to cycle through each setting every time.
As for the value, Last Man Survival Gear included a bonus lamp, the LT30, which is small and light, suitable for a purse, pocket, or key ring, and has a similar output to a single AA flashlight, only in a much larger, heavier package. It’s a nice addition, but I feel the 3.7v 18650 lithium ion battery is wasted here, not allowing either piece to shine (no pun intended) to it’s full potential. The included charger is also a nice bonus, but if you’re going to start investing in quality lithium ion rechargeable cells, you might want to consider a more, shall we say, robust, charger. This one is fine to get you started, and the LED indicator light on it changes from red, to yellow to green to let you know a charge cycle is complete. Last Man Survival Gear includes two of the aforementioned 3.7V 1800 mAh protected circuit batteries, as well as a AAA battery adapter, and a pretty decent hard plastic carry/storage case. Both lamps have water-resistant O-rings, which should provide some measure of light water resistance, as well as carry lanyards (but I’d expect to replace those shortly). All in all you get a fair amount of value for around the $35 they were charging when I ordered my set, although at the current $45.99, I’d say it’s a bit overpriced. It’s not quite the value of the venerable OxyLED MD50, but uses the same emitter setup, reflector and LED. So it’s up to you if this Last Man Survival Gear’s value added set is truly the LED flashlight for you.
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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Last Man Survival Gear. 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.