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All posts tagged "accessory"


Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Sheath Your 7 Inch Tablet in Style with Vaja's Premium Leather Sleeve

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Laptop Thoughts Accessories" @ 08:00 AM

This is my review video of the Vaja Premium Leather Sleeve for 7 Inch Tablets - in this case, I'm using it with a Kindle 3. The leather colour/style is Latte (outside) / Brownie (inside), and it can be ordered from Vaja Cases. The case sells for $110 if you get a customized version, or $80 if you go with a stock version. I've been using the case now for a couple of months, and the leather is still flawless; it's got a very different type of leather than the Vaja Libretto iPad case I reviewed earlier. There are no cracks in the leather, and it has maintained its tightness so the Kindle doesn't fall out if held upside down. Vaja's Premium Leather Sleeve also fits an HTC Flyer nicely. If you have a seven inch tablet or eBook Reader, this makes an excellent carrying case for it.

Jason Dunn owns and operates Thoughts Media Inc., a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys photography, mobile devices, blogging, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, his wonderful son Logan, and his sometimes obedient dog. He's glad someone's stepping up to battle Apple in the hardware design space.

Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the Thoughts Media Review Team! We're looking for individuals who find it fun to test new gear and give their honest opinions about the experience. It's a volunteer role with some great perks. Interested? Then click here for more information.


Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Lenovo's Multimedia Remote with Keyboard Reviewed

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 08:00 AM

This is my review video of the Lenovo Multimedia Remote with Keyboard (N5901), a small radio frequency-based keyboard and mouse combo unit. It's a small, cleverly-designed product that allows you to control your PC with an all-in-one trackball and keyboard. It's not perfect - it rattles, and without backlit keys it's basically impossible to use the keyboard in a dimly lit room - but if you're looking to replace a full-sized keyboard and mouse with something much smaller, this will do the trick.

Want to buy one? You can purchase one from our Laptop Thoughts Amazon store.

Jason Dunn owns and operates Thoughts Media Inc., a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys photography, mobile devices, blogging, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, his wonderful son Logan, and his sometimes obedient dog. He wonders if he'll ever see a double rainbow in his lifetime - oh wait, he already has!

Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the Thoughts Media Review Team! We're looking for individuals who find it fun to test new gear and give their honest opinions about the experience. It's a volunteer role with some great perks. Interested? Then click here for more information.


Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Skooba Design Laptop Slim Case Video Review

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Laptop Thoughts Accessories" @ 08:00 AM

This is my review of the Skooba Design Laptop Slim Case, a lightweight laptop and gadget carrying case. Skooba, formerly known as RoadWired, has been making impressive bags for years, and this is one of their slimmest (3.5 inches) and most light-weight (18 ounces) bags yet. It's perfect for day-to-day business outings and even short trips or a vacation where you want to travel light. It has over 12 different pockets, pouches, and storage zones but it becomes a little unwieldy if you cram them all full. This bag works best if you pack it light. Check out my review for all the details, but if you're short on time, here's the summary: two thumbs up. Buy it.

You can purchase the bag from $59.95, but watch the video for a special coupon code to save 20% off any order over $50.

Jason Dunn owns and operates Thoughts Media Inc., a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys photography, mobile devices, blogging, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, his wonderful son Logan, and his sometimes obedient dog. He likes laptop bags - maybe a little too much.

Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the Thoughts Media Review Team! We're looking for individuals who find it fun to test new gear and give their honest opinions about the experience. It's a volunteer role with some great perks. Interested? Then click here for more information.


Thursday, April 21, 2011

Film Canister USB Flash Drive: A Second Lifetime of Use

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 02:00 AM

http://www.etsy.com/shop/newfocus?ref=pr_shop_more

Clever! You can get these re-purposed film canisters with either a 2 GB ($18.99) or a 4 GB ($23.99) embedded USB flash drive. This would make a great gift for a photographer, especially someone who's still shooting film. I'm a bit surprised they top out at 4 GB though - that seems very tiny compared to the normal sizes of drives today.


Thursday, March 10, 2011

Veho's Mimi Wireless Gamepad Keyboard

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 05:00 AM

http://www.everythingusb.com/veho-m...oard-21003.html

"The Veho Mimi Wireless Gamepad Keyboard is not only a small form factor keyboard but also has a built in gyroscope so it can be picked up and used as a 3D mouse! Heck, if all that is not impressive enough, it also has a built-in 8-way gamepad with dual thumbsticks. Yes, this amazing piece of engineering will not only let you surf the web, and the mundane tasks but actually allow you to turn your HTPC into a full on gaming rig!"

I'm not entirely convinced of the utility of a keyboard that small, but if you're looking to ditch a full-sized keyboard on your home-theatre PC and still be able to do all the same functions, this looks like a possible solution.


Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Tekkeon’s New Dual Port Power Pack, Certified by Apple for iPod, iPhone and iPad, Charges Two Devices at Once

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Laptop Thoughts Accessories" @ 09:00 AM

http://www.tekkeon.com/products-tekcharge1860.html

"TekChargeTM MP1860A, a dual port power pack with two USB outputs, simultaneously charges and powers your iPadTM, iPhone®, iPod® nano or iPod® touch, and a second small portable device. With mobile power at your fingertips, this high-capacity, lightweight battery lets you enjoy hours of extended play time on many of your small portable electronic products. Most portable devices are often in need of recharging after a few hours of use. By taking advantage of the TekCharge MP1860A rechargeable lithium ion battery, you can enjoy hours of extended play time on your iPad, iPhone, iPod, mobile phones, smartphones, Zune® and MP3 players, portable routers, e-readers, and other small portable electronic products. As an added bonus, TekCharge MP1860A includes a flashlight so you have emergency light at your fingertips."

Got an iPad or another tablet that needs a hefty bump of juice to charge? The Tekkeon MP1860A might have a uninspired product name, but it offers plenty of power - up to 2.1 amps, enough to charge an iPad or iPad 2. It's also been officially certified by Apple, so you know it will work. The battery holds 4400 mAH of power, which should be enough to recharge several smaller devices and partially recharge the iPad or another tablet device. I'm working on a review of another Tekkeon battery pack and it's quite impressive. Tekkeon really knows their batteries!


Thursday, February 10, 2011

Convert USB 3.0 Ports to Accept eSATA Devices

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 09:00 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/31/...legacy-externa/

"Newer Technology, Inc. announced today the NewerTech eSATA to USB 3.0 Adapter for using an eSATA interfaced equipped external hard drive with computers offering the 'SuperSpeed' USB 3.0 interface. The $29.95 MSRP adapter offers benchmark proven performance of up to 247MB/s reads and 206.4MB/s writes for the fastest data transfer rates available with external data storage/backup. NewerTech's exclusive distributor, Other World Computing (OWC)..."

Ports, ports, port. Sometimes it seems like we never have enough of them, or if we do, they're of the wrong type - this $30 accessory solves the problem of having an eSATA device and a USB 3.0 port on your computer. The read/write speeds are impressive, so if you need this kind of solution, it should be a no-brainer.


Thursday, December 30, 2010

Smartphone Coasters: Stainless Steel Phone Stand

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Windows Phone Accessories" @ 11:35 AM

http://www.newpcgadgets.com/product...tand/index.html

"Ask any Evo 4G user what they love about their phone, and eventually the word kickstand will come up. Having an easy way to hold the phone so it can be viewed is simply great, and is one of those things you wonder how you ever got along without. Fear not, non-kickstand enabled smartphones, the latest product from newPCgadgets.com called "Smartphone Coasters" has you covered. These sleek and attractive stainless steel stands compliments any setting to provide an easily accessible base for your phone. The Smartphone Coaster holds all Smartphone's; including the popular iPhone, Droid, Windows 7, BlackBerry and dozens more."

That old adage about the simplest things being the best ideas? I think that applies here. There's really not much to the product - it's a simple stainless steel stand, but if you're the kind of person that likes to have their phone/PDA/PMP/small tablet standing up at attention, this might be exactly what you're looking for. At only $3.99 per stand, and you can buy 'em in a six pack, they're affordable, functional, and a nice use of the "KISS" principle. The company also has some other clever products that you might be interested in.


Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Spiderpodium: Is This Brilliant or What?

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 09:00 PM

http://www.breffo.com/usa/index.html

"Spiderpodium has been designed, re-designed and then designed again to accomodate virtually every handheld portable device available both now, and in the future. Yes. It's that well designed! The hole in the body is specifically designed to allow most all proprietary chargers fit through for charged docking. Thus eliminating need for additional purchase of a Spiderpodium for each device or gadget you own! Clever? Yes. Very!"

They say the simplest things are sometimes the best, and this is a good example of that: I've seen a few different travel stands for mobile devices, but this one takes some of the concepts from the Joby Gorillapod and adds on a few novel twists. I've just ordered one of the black units because I can think of a lot of ways this would be useful.


Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Snag a Samsung External CD/DVD Burner for Only $48.99

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 04:00 PM

http://www.newegg.com/product/produ...N82E16827151182

Sure, you could screw around with trying to make your USB flash drive act like a CD drive, but for $49, is it really worth the hassle? NewEgg has this Samsung drive that supports a dizzying array of formats (8X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 6X DVD+R DL 8X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 5X DVD-RAM 8X DVD-ROM 24X CD-R 24X CD-RW 24X CD-ROM), and is completely USB-powered (it needs two USB ports to power it if you want to burn a DVD). I have the black version of this drive, and it's fantastic. I've even used it with a desktop computer when I've needed to do direct CD to CD duplication.


Monday, May 11, 2009

JOBO Introduces the Ultra-Thin New NANO Series of High–Quality Digital Picture Frames

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 04:30 PM

http://www.jobo.com/web/NANO_7.592.0.html

"JOBO AG announces the addition of an affordable new ultra-thin and very stylish digital picture frame to the growing JOBO family of digital picture frames.The new .35-inch thick JOBO NANO 7 is the first in a series of three new NANO digital picture frames to be introduced this year. The JOBO NANO 7 digital picture frame will be available in three different versions - Basic, Pro and Media. The new NANO 7 is less than half an inch thick and features a 7" high resolution TFT-Color-LCD display designed to beautifully showcase digital images and many user friendly functions. This ultra-slim frame can be conveniently operated with its versatile remote control."

You wouldn't want a frame with all those buttons on it, would you? No, of course not - which is why the buttons vanish when you stop interacting with them. Slick! I like the fact that the frames are quite thin. I'm less convinced by the 16:10 aspect ratio - unless you want a video frame, why would you want to have your 4:3 images zoomed/cropped to 16:10? This seems like a real miss to me with this product...


Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Lowepro's Cirrus TLZ 25: Only Small DLRs Need Apply

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 07:00 AM

Traveling light with a DSLR is somewhat of a paradox, but there are ways you can lighten the load. One way is to minimize the overall weight of what you're carrying is to pack your DSLR and a single lens - that's it. I decided I wanted to do just that, so I contacted Lowepro and requested their Cirrus TLZ 25 bag since it seemed like the best option for carrying only my DSLR with a single lens. The TLZ 25, the biggest version of this bag they offer, is available in black or Ultramarine Blue. I was sent the latter - it's a really nice colour of blue. The MSRP of this bag is $43.95, but it can be purchased from Amazon.com for $29.95 [Affiliate]. The internal pouch measures 6.1 inches wide by 4.1 inches high, and is 8.3 inches deep - and that's where the problems begin. Let me illustrate what works and what doesn't through a series of photos. Read more...


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