Todd Bernhard

Review: Protect Your Privacy from Alexa with Smartē Mute+

By Todd Bernhard

One of my favorite things to look for at the Consumer Electronics Show are items that may not actually be electronic, but help make our use of electronic items better. In this case, the Smartē Mute+ ($24.99) from My Smartē Life does indeed have electronics, but it's designed to give you privacy from the now ubiquitous Amazon Echo Dot and other Echo devices. It's like a cone of silence. You just slip it on top of your Echo device. It fits all versions of Amazon Echo, Echo Plus, and Echo Dot. You turn it on and it creates its own white noise that effectively mutes the microphones. It works like noise-canceling headphones. It's not just a plastic cap!

Review: Charge Your Apple Watch in Style with a Dock from Grovemade

By Todd Bernhard

I have admired Grovemade's elegant wood, metal, and leather accessories for some time. The company recently sent me the Apple Watch Dock ($50), which works with your own original Apple Watch charging cable. It's basically a base to keep the Apple cable in place, and hidden beneath a thin layer of actual cork. The cork is available in natural or dark. It's thin so the watch can charge through it, but Grovemade warns you to be careful inserting the charger so as not to puncture the cork. Fortunately, the installation process should be something you only do once.

Jamstik 7 Fret Edition Guitar Trainer Review

By Todd Bernhard

Over the years, I've reviewed the different iterations of Jamstik portable guitars from Zivix so I was interested to see the latest model, the Jamstik 7 Fret Edition ($199.99). when Zivix offered to send a review unit. As with previous models, the Jamstik is lightweight, comfortable to hold and use, and battery powered. The Jamstik 7 Fret Edition lasts for 72 hours using four AA batteries, included, which is a nice touch. It's small, at just 18 inches, but you can buy the Add-On Body to make it more like a full-size guitar, if desired. Since the neck is shorter, the touch-sensitive rubberized buttons can be used to move up or down in both Capo and Octave. 

Review: iHome's Mirror & Bluetooth Speaker Combination Now Comes with Alexa

By Todd Bernhard

Over a year ago, I wrote about iHome's combination mirror and bluetooth speaker. And that was an update to the previous model, which I reviewed in 2016. Time marches on, and nowadays, any Bluetooth speaker really ought to have Alexa built in, so iHome went ahead and did it! The company sent me the iCVA66 Mirror with Alexa and Bluetooth Speaker ($199.99) to try and I think the company finally has perfected it. You can reenact Snow White and ask your own Magic Mirror who is the fairest of them all. Just be sure to initiate your question with "Alexa!"

Additional Tags: 
Smart home

Best Protective iPhone XS Cases: The Rugged Adventurer Case from Pelican

By Todd Bernhard

If you're like me, you have probably seen and maybe even purchased those rugged, foam-filled shipping crates from Pelican. I use them all the time to ship computer and audio equipment. Well, what if you could have that level of protection for your iPhone? That's the idea behind the Pelican line of iPhone cases. The company sent me the Adventurer Case ($39.99) to try.

Review: Sleep & Wake Better with DOZZI from WITTI Design

By Todd Bernhard

I have used and reviewed several items from WITTI Design in the past. The company has a number of clock radios that integrate with smart homes via smart buttons and charge your phone and have attractive colored lights to help you wake up more gradually. Waking up is one thing, but falling and staying asleep is also important, especially since my wife tells me I snore! I was excited to try the DOZZI Natural White Noise Machine ($29.99) when WITTI sent it to me.

Review: The Mophie Powerstation PD Delivers High Speed Power & Flexibility

By Todd Bernhard

If you're like me, you hear the name Mophie and think of its iPhone cases with built-in batteries. So I was intrigued when the company sent me the powerstation PD (starting at $59.95). These are standalone power packs, about the size of a deck of cards, that have both USB-A and USB-C ports. The pack itself is charged via USB-C to USB-C (cable included) but you'll need your own A/C brick or a laptop with a USB-C connector. They also shipped me a USB-C to Lightning cable, so you may want to add one of those, especially because the iPhone will charge much faster when the source is a USB-C device like the Mophie powerstation.

Additional Tags: 
best portable iPhone chargers
portable iPhone charger

Review: The Reolink Go Security Cam for Remote Locations

By Todd Bernhard

There's a crowded market of Wi-Fi based security cameras, but Reolink has an interesting twist. The company sent me the Reolink Go ($249.99+) with the caveat that I'd have to set it up on a phone plan. That's because the Go model supports 4G LTE-based connectivity instead of Wi-Fi. Fortunately, T-Mobile (and others) have simple micro SIM-based plans for such devices.

Additional Tags: 
Smart home
smart security

Review: Orion Home Wireless HDMI Transmitter & Receiver

By Todd Bernhard

I've reviewed a number of accessories from Nyrius before, so I was excited to see the company's latest item, ORION Home Wireless HD Video Transmitter & Receiver ($149.99), had arrived. I liked the previous model, but it used miniUSB and the newer model is microUSB-based, which is a step up. It's also easier to set up; indeed it is set up by default, out of the box. The Orion Home is two boxes that look alike, but one is a transmitter and the other a receiver. They are both similar in size to the Apple TV, but with a perforated top, which probably helps with reception.

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