Over the years I’ve had a host of different solutions for file storage, back-up, syncing, and file sharing. I’ve had network-attached storage devices, I’ve had portable USB back-up drives, and I’ve got Dropbox and other online syncing and sharing tools. I also can’t tell you how many pitches we’ve received at GeekDad and GeekMom over the years for dedicated family photo-sharing services hoping to sell subscriptions so you can share every image of your kids with their grandparents across the country or world. After a while, the number of solutions for individual tasks is a bit overwhelming.

Which is why I was very interested to try out the Amber smart storage device when they approached me for a review. Amber seeks to pull all those storage processes together into one device, and keeping it under your roof so there are no subscriptions and, if you choose, none of your data is on a server that’s not in your personal keeping. Oh, and it has a Wi-fi router built in as well.

So, on appearance, it’s a very cool-looking machine, feeling vaguely reminiscent of the last generation Apple Mac Pro. And really, this is a computer; there’s a CPU inside (Intel ® Dual Core Gemini Lake CPU (1.1GHz – 2.6 GHz) if you’re interested), controlling all the features, and there’s a pair of hard disk drives for redundant storage (configured RAID1, but you can change that if you want to maximize available disk space).

On the back, you can see an interesting variety of ports. Because Amber can replace your home Wi-fi router (it has an AC2600 Wi-Fi Router with 4×4 MIMO / Beamforming), there’s ethernet in and out. There are also two USB-C ports, one type-A and one type-C, so you can add other storage devices for additional back-up or moving files elsewhere. And there’s an HDMI port, because Amber can act as your home media server and can cast directly to your TV (or wirelessly via your mobile or desktop apps). It really wants to be the one device to rule them all.

And to that end, here’s an idea of everything Amber can do for you:

• You can connect it to a LatticeNest Cloud Service account (no subscription) for cloud back-ups.
• Use the Amber LiFE for Desktop (Mac OS + Windows) and Amber LiFE Companion App (iOS + Android) software to connect multiple clients to the Amber.
• Perform Camera Roll Auto-Backup to protect all the photos on your smart phone/tablet.
• Use Ez Sync to keep the same files up to date on multiple clients (like Dropbox).
• Use the Ez Backup to protect all the files on your laptop or desktop computers.
• Use Remote and Shared Access to get to your files or share them with others (again, like Dropbox).
• Easily access your files via the software on any of your devices.
• Take advantage of AI-Powered Facial Indexing or organize your important family photos for sharing.
• Use Media Streaming and TV Casting to make Amber your home media center.

That combines the capabilities of something like four products or services into one device that you only have to pay for once. Which isn’t to say it doesn’t have some complexity trying to combine all those features.

The best example is that there is one piece of software required for initial setup of the Amber (Amber Manager), but a different app for daily use (Amber Life). Further, if you want to take advantage of the cloud storage features, you need a LatticeNest account. And, to do firmware updates or deal with anything at the core device level, you have to access the on-board Amber OS via web browser when you’re connected to the devices network as a router. So, there is a little bit of a learning curve with Amber, but that’s just because it does so much. At this point, I’ve got key folders from my laptop backed up to Amber, as well as the camera roll from my iPhone, and I’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible.

If you’re like me, and you’ve had all these disparate solutions to back-up, sync, and sharing for so many years, it’s actually going to take some planning and effort to switch over to a personal solution. But considering how much money can be saved without subscription fees, and having the greater peace of mind knowing that your data is safe on a device that you control, that effort may well be worth it.

The 2x1TB model of Amber runs $549, and you can double that capacity for another $100. Check them out at MyAmberLife.com.

In this age of smart plugs, camera doorbells, and smart assistants, you have devices on your home network tunneling out to the rest of the internet all the time. And if they can get out, other stuff can get in. And while we all know how to keep our laptops firewalled from intrusion, how much do we really think about monitoring why our TVs are sending out MBs of data?

This is why I was interested when the folks at Firewalla offered to send me one of their Blue network security devices. The Blue is a very small (smaller than an Apple TV) box that you connect to your primary router, and instantly adds a firewall, parental controls, ad blocking, a VPN server, and more to your network, all controlled via an app on your phone.

The idea is that the Firewalla Blue is a nearly plug-and-play means to securing your home network, and ensuring no one is hacking into your smart devices, while giving you other powerful tools to help you monitor and maintain your technological infrastructure. And it pretty much is plug-and-play.

You just pull the Firewalla Blue out of the box, connect it to one of the ethernet ports on the back of your primary router, and add power (it will plug into a wall socket, or will take power via USB, which many routers have built in). Then you let it boot up, and use the QR code on the box to register it with the app on your phone. Done. It was, seriously, that easy.

From there, Firewalla Blue will scan your network and verify every device you have connected. You may well discover devices you forgot about! Then you’ll start getting alerts every time something interesting happens on your network, like your TV uploads data for some reason, or someone starts watching video. At this point, you will start to get an idea as to how much is going on with your network, and you’ll figure out how to set the alerts so you’re not being overwhelmed by them.

And one more feature that I really, really like is the built-in VPN server, allowing you to securely tunnel back into your home network from anywhere, keeping what you do on your phone or your laptop when you’re logged onto any old public network completely secure from prying eyes.

There’s plenty more that I’m not getting to, but which only ads value to this remarkable device, but the best thing I can say is that I now feel a lot safer about the security of my home network, and that I have a lot more control over what’s going on with it. That’s a valuable feeling.

The Firewalla Blue is available for $179 at Firewalla.com.

The Soliom S60 solar IP camera solves the problem of getting power to your outdoor security cameras with a completely cable-free installation.

What Is It

The Soliom S60 is a wireless camera designed for outdoor use. It delivers 1080p hi-def video, with motion-detection and night vision, all standard components on similar cameras on the market. What makes the S60 stand apart is the two solar panels that keep a 4,000 mAh internal battery charged up, so it doesn’t need any power cables run to remote places around your house.

How Does It Work

It’s pretty simple. Plug an SD card (not included) in for internal storage, download and install the app (iOS or Android), turn on the camera (which you should charge up via USB for the first time), pick your network, and add the camera. The app uses a cool audio transmission to relay your network info to the camera and get it online (you just have to make sure your phone’s volume is turned up, so the camera can hear the tones – a mistake I made the first time). That’s it – you can have it up and running in just a few moments.

With that done, you can see the video from the camera on your phone, and you can figure out where you want to mount it. You just want to make sure it will be in direct sunlight for some part of the day, so it’ll recharge the battery. It’s useful as a front door camera, because with the motion control and notifications, you can see anyone who comes to the door, and use the audio capability to speak to them in real time. The camera comes with a mounting arm with a ball joint so you can mount it wherever you need it.

How Do You Like It

I was impressed with the quick and easy setup. Once I’d properly read the instructions about the audio setup and turned the volume on my phone up, it literally took under 5 minutes from turning it on, to having it ready for use. The mounting bracket was easy to install on some wood trim, and the video looks good. I do wish it had HomeKit so I didn’t have to so to a specific, single-use app to view it. It would also be nice to be able to use it as a webcam, and access it via a browser, but that’s a minor quibble.

All-in-all, it fits into a nice niche for people who want to be able to upgrade their home security without running a bunch of wiring. It’s perfect for folks who rent their homes, who want to be able to take their equipment with them when they move on.

And thanks to the folks at Soliom, you can get one for 20% off with the special coupon code 20OFFCAM.

The Soliom S60 retails for $139 on Amazon (so it’s about $111 with the coupon).

See more about it on the Soliom website.

Nearly four years ago, I reviewed the first generation Boom Bluetooth speaker from Ultimate Ears (Logitech). Here’s what I had to say:

Most Bluetooth speakers are, for want of a better word, lackluster. A balance must be struck between weight and battery capacity, and too often makers go for smaller, lighter, and therefore less powerful. You need some juice to power the kind of drivers that reproduce sound well. Which is why the UE Booms can double as (very stylish) doorstops.

But they’re doorstops that can produce room-filling sound with well-balanced bass, mid-, and high-ranges. They’re not just good bluetooth speakers, they’re good speakers.

Even better, they put our 360-degree sound, and with a special mobile app, you can sync multiple speakers up to fill bigger spaces, or even sync pairs up to put out L/R stereo sound. Nice!

But the best review I can give is that I gave one to each of my two teenage boys, and they’re hooked. These are the speakers they use exclusively to play music in their rooms, and they’re happy. ‘Nuff said.

Four years on now, and UE sent me a third-generation Boom (the Boom 3), and after all this time, all I can say is that the best portable Bluetooth speakers on the market are still the best, but more refined, with some added features, and – gasp – cheaper!

The basics are all the same – sound quality is some of the best you get on the market, and an excellent 15-hour play time between charges. It’s durable and waterproof, so it can be your shower music station, or survive by the pool (and even in it for short bursts) without problems. You can share the speaker with friends via app to hand off DJ duties. You can even partner up to 150 speakers to create massive audio setups!

There’s also now a control button on top that allows you to control the music coming from your phone with easy tap controls, and you can even start and control playlists that you assign via the Boom app. I also like that they moved the USB charging port from the bottom to the side, so you can keep it standing right side up while charging, or playing while plugged in (or pick up the special charging dock).

Best of all, while UE has consistently improved the Boom 3 over the years, they’ve brought the price down. This current model costs $50 less than that original Boom I reviewed four years ago. You can get one (or more) now at Amazon for just $150.

Note: UE sent me a review unit.

Meet the OmniCharge Omni20

Portable battery chargers have come a long way in a relatively short time. You can recharge your phone from a portable battery that’s the size of a PEZ dispenser pretty easily. But keeping your entire mobile office going, away from power outlets, for longer than a couple hours has been tougher. There are very few portable chargers that include the ability to plug in an AC power cord (it requires some special electronics to convert the stored power to the right voltage and frequency). I’ve reviewed them before, and they’re useful, but usually large enough to make them challenging as part of your everyday carry. But the OmniCharge Omni20 I was recently sent takes a big step forward in combining a huge power capacity (over 20,400 mAh), with a convenient size and form factor, and added touches that make it more useful, portable, and functional than the rest.

Smarts

The Omni20 is billed as a “smart” battery pack. That’s because it gives you more information that most other similar units. At best, most portable chargers have 5 lights that blink to tell you how full the batteries within are. On the Omni20, there’s an OLED screen on the control side that reports the unit’s charge percentage, temperature, which ports are in use, and the rate of power flow into, and out of, the device. It’ll even tell you how long it will take until it reaches a full charge, or how long you have to run it (at the current flow rate). Knowledge is, after all, power, and knowing how long you have left to work is powerful piece of mind when you’re on the road.

Ports

There are four total ports on the Omni20. The standard AC outlet will run at 120V to match the North American standard, but will also run in an 150V HVDC mode that many modern laptop can use more efficiently. There are two USB ports. One is a standard 5V/3Amp port that will charge most every USB-compatible device. The other is a QuickCharge 3.0-compatible port, that allows even faster charging on devices that use the specification to intelligently control how much juice is being delivered to them, and how quickly.

The last port is something very interesting.

Most battery chargers use USB to be charged themselves, and have an input USB port somewhere on them. The higher-capacity devices will have what’s called a “barrel” port for being charged, that allows them to connect to a cord with a transformer brick that then connects to an AC outlet, to bring in a certain mix of volts and amps to refill. These are always power input ports, serving only one purpose, with one connection possible.

The barrel port on the Omni20 is a two-way power port, which allows it to do some amazing things, especially when you throw in the selection of adapters that come with the bundle option. First, it can be re-charged normally, via a 120V AC outlet. But with various adapters, it can be recharged via solar panel, from a 12v car outlet, or it can even pull power back out from other devices. And then the barrel port can be used for power output to other devices that use the same barrel for their input power, delivering charge directly, rather than running it through transformer bricks and losing efficiency. It’s like the Swiss Army Knife of power ports.

Safety

The most important of all its useful features are its safety features, though. The Omni20 constantly monitors its own status, checking temperatures on the power cells and the controller board, and monitoring input and output power so it can never overheat or overcharge. The Omni20 (and its smaller sibling, the Omni13) both satisfy the FAA battery guidelines for carrying on planes, so if you fly on routes where there’s no power available at your seat, they can be great assets for getting a little more work done.

Final Thoughts

If your mobile office requires that you plug in from time to time, just to keep the juice flowing, the Omni20 may be a smart addition to your everyday carry. It is by far the best portable charging solution I’ve seen so far. It makes an excellent compromise between capacity and size (it’s about 30% smaller than the last similar device I tested, and has higher storage capacity), and the options available for input and output power make it amazingly flexible. You can use it for your mobile office, for your camping trip, or just to watch a movie outside without running an extension cord. The build quality and feel are top notch. And again, the amount of information it delivers via its OLED screen gives the user so much more insight into its function that most similar devices, which seem like magical black boxes of power (until they run out).

The Omni20 is not cheap, but for someone whose business relies on portability and flexibility, it seems like an easily justifiable expense. Being able to work (or play) when you want, where you want without worrying about power outlets is liberating, and the Omni20 gives you the power to set yourself free.

The OmniCharge Omni20 Bundle retails for $299, and is available at Amazon. You can also get it without the added adapters for $50 less, and there is a smaller capacity unit (the Omni13), for $199.

Note: I received a unit for review, but my opinions are my own. Amazon affiliate links help this site and its writers to remain independent.

Here’s the first thing to understand about noise-cancelling earphones and headphones in general: you’re not going to put them on and suddenly feel like you’ve been sealed in a sound-proof room. Active noise cancellation can, to varying degrees, handle regular ambient noise pretty well; it quickly analyzes the incoming sounds and produces inverse sound waves that actually dampen or cancel out what’s outside. But irregular, random noise, it just can’t handle. So if, for example, you’re wearing them at work, it’ll dampen the hum of the AC, but not the sound of your annoying co-workers speaking on the phone in the cell… CUBICLE next to you.

Understanding this, I went into my evaluation of these budget Bluetooth earbuds from Aukey with some skepticism. First, they’re earbuds, and simply can’t do as effective a join at passive noise isolation as a good pair of over-the-ear headphones. Second, at a $60 price point, how effective could the active noise-cancelling tech be?

I’ll admit, they performed better than I expected.

These are the neck-resting style of wireless earphones, meaning there’s a collar-like base unit that rests on your neck, and then earbuds on wires connecting to bring the sound to your ears. The downside is that it’s not the most elegant arrangement. The upside it that it means they can be heavier than just a cord between two earbuds would be, allowing for a decent rechargeable battery (they’ll run for 20 hours on a charge), and of course for the active noise-cancelling tech, which requires a couple of microphones.

As for that key feature, the first time you hear (or don’t hear) it work, it’s like a little bit of magic. Of course, the earbuds do a bit of noise dampening, reducing the outside noise by about 20% just wearing them stuck in your years. But then, if you are sitting in a room with consistent ambient noise, you flip the switch to turn on the noise cancellation, and it’s like you pulled a band or two on your graphic equalizer down to zero: suddenly there’s a hole in the upper mid-range, where there was sound before. Again, not everything is gone, but a very noticeable chunk of sound has been taken out of the background.

Otherwise, these are decent budget Bluetooth headphones. They have the latest BT spec, so they’re delivering pretty decent sound. The build quality is average for this price point. They’re not delicate, but I wouldn’t drop them into the bottom of a backpack and expect them to last very long, either. I do worry that the switch for turning the noise-cancelling on and off is a bit stiff, and I feel like I’m going to snap it off at some point. YMMV.

I think the buying decision for these is the following: if you work in a location with a consistent background hum, and you can’t afford or it’s not appropriate to wear larger over-the-ear noise cancelling headphones, which can run around $200, then these are a decent solution and a step up from just wearing earbuds to block out some sound. They could be good for commutes on public transit as well, where you want to tone down the exterior hum, but not be totally isolated.

You can find the Aukey EP-B48 Bluetooth Headphones With Active Noise Cancellation on Amazon for $60.

[Disclaimer: Aukey sent me a pair of these to evaluate; opinions are my own.]

I’ve had a few Wi-Fi-connected cameras for testing over the years, and while having a live view into your home can provide a level of safety and security, they’ve always felt like early adopter devices, requiring a little extra work to setup and use. At least they have up to now.

The Omna 180 HD camera from D-Link has turned the corner from interesting techie gadget to useful household appliance. It’s dead-simple to set up and access, and as an Apple HomeKit device, it promises both security and interactivity.

Note: this all assumes you have both a 4th-generation AppleTV and an iPhone or iPad connected to your home network, and have already done the basics to setup HomeKit. Yes, iOS is a closed ecosystem, and there are solid arguments to be made against that. However, the easy integration and functionality of devices like the Omna prove the other side of that argument: a controlled, carefully developed ecosystem means things work easily and effectively.

Setup goes like this: plug the Omna 180 HD camera into the power outlet near where you’re going to keep it. Wait for the power light to come on and indicate it’s ready. Download and install the Omna app on your iOS device. Open the app, hit the “+” to add the device. You find the device on the list, take a picture of the sticker on the back of the device with your phone/tablet camera, and voila’–it’s on the network and part of your HomeKit accessories.

Once that’s done, you can access the camera either from the Omna app or from your Home app with a couple taps. The big selling point of the Omna 180 HD cam is the 180-degree field of view, meaning if it’s sitting on a shelf, you can see a room from one end to the other. As you can tell from the image above, there’s a bit of squishing to the field of view, but the effect works. The 1080p video is sharp and colorful, and it delivers the highest frame rates I’ve ever seen when viewing via the internet (there’s also a night mode that lets you see in the “dark”). Plus, you get sound, and you can even talk back through the device to anyone (person or pet) who happens to be in the room. If you use a micro SD card, you can also automatically record!

And here’s a crazy one: if you have an Apple Watch, the camera will automatically be accessible via the Home app there as well. While the frame rate is pretty low (video is being delivered from your phone via Bluetooth LE), it actually works. You can hear what’s going on in the room as well. So if you set up an alert when motion is detected, you can just pop the camera up on your watch and check when the kids get home from school, or whatever. Since it’s integrated with HomeKit, you can also set up activities based on the motion detection in the camera, like turning on any lights that are on your Home network as well.

My bottom line is that if you’ve been thinking about getting a Wi-Fi camera, and you have an Apple household, the Omna 180 HD cam is great. It delivers on the promise of HomeKit-integrated devices in its easy setup, ease-of-use, and because HomeKit has some of the strongest security available in consumer devices (256-bit AES encryption is just scratching the surface), you don’t have to be worried that the neighbors will be able to see your camera feed like you can hear their baby monitor. I can honestly say that, if I hadn’t been sent one as a review unit (and I knew what I know without having reviewed it), this is the connected camera I’d want to buy.

The D-Link Omna 180 Cam HD Camera is available exclusively on the Apple store for $199.

With the boom in connected devices for the home, it only makes sense that one of the niches being explored are gadgets that can keep us connected to our pet who stay at home while we’re away at work. Petcube was one the first on the scene, and their new Petcube Play shows all the signs of being a mature, well-designed, and well-built device.

First of all, the Petcube Play is a wifi camera that lets you check in on your pets via app while you’re out. It delivers 1080p video at a decent frame rate, and the lens provides a nice wide 138-degree view, allowing you to see most of whatever room your pets hang out in. It gives good visibility in low light conditions, and even has night vision if needed. There’s a microphone and speaker so you can call out and communicate with your pets from the app as well.

The other nifty feature is a laser, built into the little 3x3x3 cube that you can control from the app as well. This is perfect, especially for cats, giving you the ability to play with them remotely, shining the laser on the floor and moving it around with the swipe of a finger. Doing this while you’re able to speak to them as well provides real interaction.

Setup is straightforward, and well-guided by the device and the printed instructions (something that’s not always true for connected gadgets). I was able to get it up and running within a couple minutes. The app is very clear and simple. It even allows you to snap pictures and video via the cube, so you’ll never miss your pet’s antics.

There are caveats, however. First is, before buying this or any similar device, you want to make sure your pets will react to it. Many pets simply will not react to voices over speakers (this has been true of every dog I’ve ever owned), so if you think you’ll need to call your pet to come to the device when you’re using it, you might want to test this out beforehand. Also, not all pets will react to lasers. However, most cats, and many dogs will; just make sure you know before you buy.

And the Petcube suffers from the limitations all such connected video cameras do: they can only transfer information as quickly as the internet connections between the two ends of the line will allow. Until our ISPs eradicate latency and lag for good (it’s a dream!), we just have to acknowledge and understand that there will be delays between what happens for real and what you see and hear. When you call to your pet through the app, you’ll hear your voice returned a few moments later. When you play with the laser by tapping and dragging on the screen, the actual actions take fractions of a second to catch up. You can get used to it, but it still adds just a little bit of distance from what’s going on.

But for many of us, the ability to interact with our furry little loved ones while we’re off at work far surpasses and little niggles. If you’re such a pet lover, then Petcube could be for you.

Petcube Play is available from Amazon for $194.

[Note: Petcube sent us a unit for review. Opinions are our own. And we actually ended up buying one as a holiday gift for someone.]

Two years ago, I reviewed the Logitech K480 multi-function keyboard. It was a great idea – a bluetooth keyboard built to handle the modern, multiple device-using power geek. It had a slot where you could set both a phone and a tablet, and a little dial that allowed you to manipulate each one distinctly via Bluetooth; I liked it (and indeed, I still have it and still use it). But there were issues:

First, I think the knob for switching devices is a bit too manual. Three buttons, each with an LED that blinks occasionally to let you know which device is active would be more elegant. Also, more than once when I picked it up and reached underneath to switch it off, I found it far too easy to accidentally open the battery compartment. Some design that locks it closed a bit more soundly would be good.

Further, while the K480 was obviously designed as an alternative to the Apple Wireless Keyboard, I want to see a full-sized version of this with a number pad on the right. If this is meant to be a desktop keyboard replacement, it needs to replace a true desktop keyboard.

Fast forward to now. Logitech sent me one of their new models, the K780. It’s a multi-device Bluetooth keyboard, built to run a phone, a tablet, and a desktop or laptop computer (PC or Mac) at the same time with the push of a button (not a knob) that lights up to indicate which one is primary. The on/off switch is on the side, nowhere near the well-secured battery compartment. And it has a number pad, making it a full-fledged desktop keyboard. In short, I now believe that Logitech is reading my reviews and making design choices based upon my recommendations (certainly not that I pointed out some obviously design flaws and next steps).

I liked the K480, but I love the K780. It’s now sitting on the countertop in the kitchen where we have a Mac Mini that’s sort of our home brain center with the family calendar and shared music. It’s perfect because I can come in, plop my phone in the slot on the keyboard, push a button, and quickly respond to emails, Slack chats, and Twitter messages on my phone, without opening the apps on the computer. And it adds the number pad to the desktop toolset so I can quickly do some home economics calculations when needed. It’s a well-designed keyboard, like Logitech does – solidly built with a great keystroke feel, and it looks good. In short, it’s a winner.

My one recommendation for the next model, oh ever-listening Logitech engineers? Make this, with a lockable hinge in the middle so it folds up and slips into an everyday carry bag. Then you can really survive with a table and a phone as your mobile work tools, and come into the office or home where you just need a CPU and monitor for desktop power. Mind blown.

The Logitech K780 Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard is available from Amazon for $69.

[Note: Logitech sent me a unit for review; the opinions are my own.]

On the one hand, larger Bluetooth-connected wireless speakers have come a long way. Battery life is good, sound quality has improved significantly over the tinny and poorly-amplified units we saw in the early days, and the ability to connect multiple units to a single source and built a pretty good stereo experience anywhere you happen to be have made these devices a desirable upgrade to the portable music decks of our past. But… they’ve become a dime a dozen. If you look on Amazon, there are literally over 120,000 Bluetooth speaker available. So, what’s going to make one more interesting than another?

How about lights?

Yes, the latest feature making its want into some of the higher-end (above $100) Bluetooth speakers are lights – specifically LED lights that can add an attractive light show to your musical party experience. The Pulse2 from JBL will light up with a number of visualizations – flames, rain, fireflies, and more. The app that controls it will even produce ambient sounds, like thunderstorms or nature noises to go with the lights. But perhaps the most unique lighting feature is that the speaker has a small camera lens that will let you sample colors in your room and recreate them on the unit so it fits in with your design motif. Depending upon your design sensibilities, this could be the killer feature.

The Pulse2 by JBL is available from Amazon for $148.

[Note: JBL provided a review unit; all opinions are the author’s.]

LampChamp is a good idea. When you think about all the options you have in your house to add USB ports to make charging your portable devices easier, lamps make sense. They’re already plugged in and using power, and it couldn’t be that hard to just piggy-back off it somehow. And indeed, that’s what the folks at Olens have done with LampChamp.

Basically, it’s a passthrough lightbulb socket. You unscrew the bulb from a standard E27 lamp socket, screw in the LampChamp, and screw the bulb back into it. Done. There’s a switch on one side so you can control the bulb and a USB port that will give you 5V DC at 2A for charging devices.

Again, it’s a good idea. In practice, it’s… a challenging design. You see, I received a review unit and, of the dozen lamps in our house that use standard E27 bulbs, I couldn’t find one where the LampChamp actually fit in a way that made it work well. The problem, in most cases, it that there’s not enough clearance, either between the LampChamp and the shade or the LampChamp and the shade support. With the former, while you can install the LampChamp, it may be tough or impossible to get a USB cable plugged in. In the latter case, the width of the LampChamp collar may simply not fit inside the lamp structure.

I did get it installed in a small lamp, and it works as billed–you can plug a USB cable into it and charge things. For me, it was only accessible in an awkward manner; that made it less than useful. But I can see if you have a lamp where it fits, it would be a useful device. So, if this interests you, take care to verify it’ll fit your lamps first.

You can buy a 2-pack of LampChamps on Amazon for just $30.

There are cycles in the gadget industries—new ideas and new tech premiere, are pricey and hit-or-miss, but get popular, become ubiquitous, and then the price falls. One example over the last couple years has been Bluetooth earbuds. If you hop onto Amazon and search for them, you’ll find plenty of examples in the sub-$30 range, and they are fine. They’ll do what you want—play music and podcasts with an acceptable audio quality for a reasonable amount of time between charges. They represent somewhat the first wave of the popularization of these gadgets.

The Epic 2 Bluetooth Sport Earbuds, which JLab recently sent me, can then be considered the second wave. They are an evolutionary step forward, and I can best discuss them by comparing them to the previous generations and talk about what they do better.

Sound is much clearer. For example, when you turn them on and connect them to a phone, there’s a voice that talks to you. In gen1 earbuds, I’d always hear static in the voice, and the words would be clipped. With the Epic2s, it sounds like there’s something standing next to you, reporting on the device’s status right then and there.

Connectivity is stronger and more consistent. I’ve had a number of 1st gen BT earbuds where I would listen to them with my phone in my chest pocket, and if I tuned my head to the right, the connection would cut out. This seems to have been a problem with either/both the radio tech and the BT specification. The Epic2s do not have this problem.

Design is smarter. In gen1 devices, the micro-USB port for charging was usually located in one or the other of the earbud constructs themselves, which seemed strange from a waterproofing POV, since that’s closer to where the sweat is generated. The Epic2s port is in the on/off volume clicker on the connective wire instead. Makes much more sense.

Battery lasts longer. This is mostly subjective, since I haven’t done rigorous testing, but I’ve experienced the battery life in the Epics to be excellent, lasting through a couple days of 3-4 hour/day common usage.

The bottom line for me is that I like these earbuds, and I’m going to keep using them for day-to-day podcast listening when I’m working out. The choice you have to make is whether the improvements JLab has made over the gen1 crowd is enough to entice you to spend the $100 these are currently running.

Product: JLab Audio Epic 2 Bluetooth Sport Earbuds

Price: $100 on Amazon

Note: JLab sent me a set of these for review; my opinions are my own.

It’s a (pun intended) bright idea: cram a small-profile Bluetooth speaker into a lightbulb and make them both controllable from your phone. It’s a little bit of the Internet of Things, with a side of convenience.

The Pulse Solo from Sengled executes that simple idea. It’s a little bit bigger, and rather heavier than a normal bulb, but not far off from the compact fluorescents we’re all just getting around to getting rid of. It screws into any standard E26 lamp, and turns on when you turn on the power. You then pair it with your phone or other mobile device via Bluetooth. You can start playing music through it right away, or download the Pulse app which lets you also control the brightness and turn it on and off, independent of any light switch.

The light is good; 6W LED at 2700K color temperature, which is a nice warm white. The sound is about what you’d expect from little 1″, 3W speakers (there’s a pair and they put out stereo) – so all mediums and highs, no base at all. You’re not going to vibrate furniture with these, but the sound is clear, and you get good volume out of them. It’s not for fine listening, but for providing background music at a party it’s more than adequate. We’re sending the one we received for this review off to college with our teen for his dorm room – seems just about perfect for a tiny room where a dedicate speaker takes up space, and power outlets.

The Sengled Pulse Solo costs $38 on Amazon.

Sengled provided a unit for this review; the opinions are my own.

As I’ve blogged quite a few times in the past, I’m something of a nut when it comes to outside lighting, especially for the holidays. So I’m always happy when I get offered reviews of new lighting appliances.

This time around, it’s the Loftek 50W RGB floodlight. If you understand how LEDs work, you’ll know that a 50W lamp is pretty powerful (that’s not 50W equivalent, the unit actually draws 50W). And the Loftek shines bold and bright, in each of the 12 colors available (it’s not a perfect RGB device; there’s no interface for picking custom colors).

The floodlight is very rugged. The case is solid, and well-sealed. It is rated IP66, meaning it’s totally dust-proof, and waterproof against strong water jets. So, it’ll survive as landscape lighting under most conditions (it’s good in heat and cold as well). It comes with a multi-function remove for choosing the colors, various strobe effect, and timers for on/off.

Make no mistake: this is not a “smart” device. There is no wireless connectivity, and no app to control it. The remote is IR, so you need to be in a reasonably-close line of sight to make changes. But it is definitely a more flexible flood that most common lights you’ll buy at Lowe’s or Home Depot. It comes with a good metal bracket for mounting in to your eaves, or other structures. And it’s bright and durable, which is pretty much what you want. I can’t wait to add this into my holiday lights later this year!

You can get the Loftek 50W RGB LED Floodlight from Amazon for $67.

Note: Loftek sent me a review sample; opinions are my own.

People like to point out that Steve Jobs once said if a gadget came with a stylus, it already failed. Of course, he was making more of a commentary on devices with poor touch-interaction, but it was amusing to hear the jokes after Apple came out with its Pencil stylus. The real point (yes, pun) to a stylus though is to allow for a more familiar and controllable interface with tablet devices than the finger allows, and as tools they help unleash the creativity of these portable platforms.

And Adonit’s new Pixel stylus in definitely one of the best of these tools. The Pixel was obviously brought out as a competitor to the Apple Pencil, both in price (where it runs about $20 cheaper) and features. Indeed, the Pixel is, in many ways, the stylus for the rest of us, because the Pencil really only works with the recent iPad Pro tablets, where the Pixel is compatible back a couple generations of device (iPhone 5, 6, 6 Plus, third- and fourth-generation iPads, iPad minis 1–4, and both iPad Airs). And it does have specific integration with a number of top drawing and note-taking apps that make its features shine: Goodnotes, Concepts, Notes Plus, Autodesk Sketchbook, Astropad, Medibang Paint, Zen Desk 2.0, and more.

The big deal is how it feels. The new tip gives you a pretty natural feel against the glass surface of your device, and the pressure sensitivity allows for significantly greater control versus older styli (or your fingers). It also has buttons that the Pencil doesn’t, allowing for greater usability depending upon your app settings, and just overall, it feels solid and sturdy in your hand. I really like that it knows to be “asleep” when it’s lying down, but comes “awake” the moment you pick it up (saving power). And the USB charging dock that it magnetically attaches to is a slick and low-profile way to do the job.

The only real drawback (again, pun, yes) is lag. The success of a stylus is a three-way marriage of hardware (the stylus) + software (the app it’s being used with) + hardware (the device running the app), and compared to the Apple Pencil running on the iPad Pro, the Pixel can’t live up to the ultimate promise of a lag-free stylus. So, while you’re not going to get the best experience, what you will get is the best experience you can get without shelling out for the iPad Pro (where it actually keeps up with the Pencil pretty well). And if you can get used to a little lag, you’re going to be able to create some really exciting stuff.

The Adonit Pixel is available from Adonit, or via Amazon, for just $80.

Note: I was sent a Pixel for this review; opinions are my own.

There are two camps when it comes to phone cases: those who want little or no extra bulk, who live with a charger plug and cable always at hand and spend their hours eyeing wall outlets wherever they go, or those who feel smugly superior with their battery cases, safe knowing they won’t run out of charge, but resigned to carrying a phone with a case that adds significant size and weight such that their thin, elegant phone seems more like the Nokia bricks of yore.

But that trade-off may be over.

ThinCharge is the next generation of battery phone case (iPhone only) that actually feels like its designers took their time to refine it to its minimums in just the same way phone manufacturers are doing with the phones themselves (it’s actually a successful Indiegogo campaign that’s made it to market). It adds no more bulk than most standard protective cases from folks like Speck, but it also adds enough battery backup (2600 mAh) to completely recharge your phone, meaning you can last a full and active day without worry.

Compared to the ZeroLemon case I’ve been using, it feels like a dream – my phone fits in my shirt pocket without messing up the flap anymore. Compared to other cases by Mophie, and even Apple itself, the ThinCharge is still smaller, more elegant. Sure, it adds a bit of weight, but otherwise, you’d think it’s just a normal, non-battery case. I’m really happy with it.

A few niggles, though. Instead of charging via micro-USB like every single other phone battery case, the ThinCharge actually uses a lightning port. This is of neutral concern for most iPhone users, since you should have the charging cable that came with your phone. That’s fine. However, the pass-through of capabilities via the port is not complete: I have a nice pair of lightning-capable earbuds that won’t work, which is frustrating. The top cap feels a bit lightweight, and could be prone to breakage if handled carelessly, and the popup port protector is hard to access, needing a lot of digging around with a fingernail to get open.

Also, as I’ve run into with pretty much every other battery case, the access hole for the normal headphone jack is too narrow for any of my existing headphones, so I literally had to take a pair of scissors and carefully, gently ream out just a little bit of the plastic to get them to fit. It doesn’t hurt the battery, but it’s an inconvenience that could have been avoided by a little extra design attention. And, as another wait to avoid added bulk, there’s no separate dedicated button to turn on the charging function. Instead, you press and hold the +volume button. That’s nice for keeping the size small, but then you have to turn the volume back down.

Overall, though, this is an good battery case that finds an excellent balance between added capacity and minimal added bulk. If you can get past the niggles, you can be quite happy with it.

ThinCharge iPhone charging case (for iPhones 6 and 6S): $60 on Amazon.

Note: I was sent a case for the purpose of this review; opinions are my own.

Function: The Ray is a touchscreen universal remote designed to act in place of each individual device remote that comes with your home entertainment system. It seeks to make setup simple, and deliver functionality like a modern mobile phone does.

Reviewer’s Take: The universal remote is something of a holy grail for geeky folks who love their elaborate home entertainment setups, but get sick of the people in their lives not understanding which buttons need to be pressed on which remotes to enable the proper configuration needed to watch last week’s episode of Agent Carter. Most entries in this category require lengthy setup times, and often deliver a compromised experience because they need to provide buttons for a variety of uses, but still have to be familiar enough that there’s a low learning-curve to use them.

The big fish in this post up to now has been the Harmony line of remotes from Logitech. I’ve reviewed a couple of generations of the Harmony remotes, and each one took significant steps forward. They’ve done a good job of trying to incorporate every possible configuration of devices and activities, but this has made setup somewhat challenging, requiring using web-based software for setup, and then syncing to the device, which has a small touchscreen, and then a variety of buttons that are common to many TV/Cable/DVR setups. However, once you have them set up, they work really well.

But Ray has entered the fray in a big way. First, they’ve taken a cue from modern phones and tablets, and gone touchscreen all the way (there are just three buttons, all on the side of the device, for power, selection, and volume control). The remote feels like a good iPhone or Android device in your hand, and the touchscreen is bright, colorful, and very responsive (it sports a Dual core, ARM Cortex-A9, 1.0GHz, GPU with 1Gb LPDDR2-SDRAM and 8Gb flash memory storage. It’s almost as if they made an iPod touch with just one app.

Setup is a real treat, too. The Ray is only meant to be used with systems that incorporate a cable or satellite system (but it will work for literally thousands of different TVs, tuners, and other A/V or game units). Indeed, via both Bluetooth and Wi-fi, it syncs with your box to learn the channel guide and (if available) DVR info, and will display what’s available on live TV or on your DVR on the remote itself, leaving the TV screen free while you browse. This is a pretty jazzy feature, though in our house sometimes everyone actually likes browsing what’s available together.

Setup takes less than 15 minutes. You connect it to your home wi-fi, the device asks you the important questions about your TV service, tuner, TV, and any other devices (we have an XBOX One that we included), and sets up the various configurations as you go. There’s no need to go configure it somewhere else, and then come back; it all happens right there. It also allows easy configuration of favorite channels, or collections of channels based on themes, like sports or kids shows.

The remote is quick and responsive. It’s funny – not many people want to use their phone as a remote in their living room; we’re all used to having a dedicate device that lives where the TV is for that purpose. So Ray solves the problem: it gives us the feeling of a smartphone, but it’s focused on this specific task. Everything looks pretty on it; TV listings and DVR entries all download the art you’d seen on your screen. The menus switch quickly, without lag or jitter. I’ve only have a couple minor quibbles. They also promise to move beyond just entertainment devices to other connected home devices, like Phillip’s HUE and the like, in upcoming software releases, which is very interesting!

Once in a while, the remote will have a problem re-syncing with the cable box to get the listings, and you need to be line-of-sight with your devices. And the location of the volume buttons on the side make it easy to accidentally toggle them while trying to get to the power button, at least with my normal hold. But otherwise, I’m really impressed with this device. It feels like there’s real competition in the high-end universal remote market again, and right now, Ray is on top.

Price: $249 from Ray.co, or from Amazon.

[Note: Ray provided a review unit.]

Name: ZUS

Function: it’s a USB charger that plugs into the 12V lighter outlet in your car. It features “smart” charging, delivering higher amps to your devices based on their capacity, thus charging them faster than “other” similar products. It has built-in LED lighting to make it easier to see and access. And it has Bluetooth connectivity which, when used in conjunction with an app on your phone (iOS and Android), will geotag your car’s location when you turn off the power, making it easy to remember where you parked later.

Reviewer’s Take: It works as advertised, though I haven’t run it through rigorous charging trials. It’s kind of fun that, every time I turn my car off, my phone nudges me that it’s saved the location, just in case. Could be handy for folks who travel or shop a lot, and have run into that “now where did I park?” quandary more than once. Packaging cautions that it may be less accurate in parking structures with poor access to satellite signals.

Price: Available for $34 from the manufacturer (not including shipping, discounts for multiples), or $36 from Amazon (again, you can buy multiples at a discount, and use Prime to save on shipping).