Kensington 3-in-1 review – power it, charge it, lock it

by Scott Carmichael on

In this product review, I’m going to give you a brief look at three new products from Kensington. Each of these three products has been designed with travelers in mind, and will certainly benefit you on the road.

The three products are:

  • Portable power outlet
  • MicroSaver keyed retractable lock
  • Travel plug adapter with USB charger

Portable power outlet

The Kensington portable power outlet is as the name implies, a portable power outlet.

The device is about 4″x3″ and has a 17″ grounded power cord designed to wrap around the unit itself for storage.

The device splits into 3 separate grounded outlets (one on the front, 2 on the rear) as well as two USB charger ports.

The power outlet even features an integrated surge protector with auto power shutdown and a fault indicator light.

The portable power outlet costs $24.99.

MicroSaver keyed retractable lock

The MicroSaver keyed retractable lock is a tiny notebook lock with a 4 foot retracting steel cable.

To lock your laptop, you simply extend the cable, loop it around something sturdy and use the Kensington lock port on your computer to lock things in place.

Of course, locks like this won’t provide you with 100% protection, but they certainly can delay thieves from removing your laptop. The lock comes with 2 keys and when you are not using it, the lock portion fits snugly inside the unit.

The MicroSaver keyed retractable lock costs $34.99

Travel plug adapter with USB charger

The Kensington travel plug adapter with USB charger is an ingenious little device.

The main unit features 4 different sets of retractable prongs, for various countries around the world. In total, these 4 sets of prongs allow the device to work in over 150 different countries.

Inside the device is a fuse, which should help protect you from overloading the circuits and plunging an entire floor of hotel rooms into total darkness.

The prongs lock in place when extended, and can retracted by pushing a button on the side.

What makes the travel plug adapter special though, is its ability to turn into an international USB charger. By removing the top portion of the adapter and replacing it with the included USB charger, you suddenly have a charger capable of working almost anywhere in the world. Unlike other international USB chargers, this one does not require you to carry a bag full of plug adapters along with you.

The travel plug adapter with USB charger costs $29.99.

Product review – Freestyle Audio Soundwave MP3 player

by Scott Carmichael on

Welcome to my review of the Freestyle Audio Soundwave sports MP3 player. The Soundwave differs from most other MP3 device on the market by offering a water and shockproof player.

In this day and age, it is hard to develop an MP3 player that actually does something no other players can offer.

The Soundwave has 2GB of flash memory and comes complete with waterproof headphones, an armband and a “floater” for keeping the player from sinking to the bottom of the ocean, should it fall overboard.

The player has a tiny OLED display which is surprisingly bright. The main portion of the screen is blue, and the equalizer line is yellow. Under the display are 5 rubber buttons for controlling the various features of the player.Because these buttons need to keep water from entering the device, they are actually quite hard to press. The controls bring me to the most disappointing part of the player; controlling this thing is harder than it should be. The basics like skipping tracks work just fine, but controlling the volume or selecting a playlist is actually quite annoying.

The Soundwave MP3 player has an internal battery pack rated for up to 30 hours of playback time and charges using the included USB cable.

Adding music to the Soundwave is as simple as “drag and drop”, so you are not required to use a dedicated media program to transfer songs. The player also supports the Windows Media Player method of transferring files.

Freestyle even provide some basic iTunes support, and they show how to convert and transfer Apple AAC files to the player. Music purchased in the iTunes store will not work on the player and will have to be copied to an audio CD and imported in order to remove the protection.

In addition to regular MP3 files, the Soundwave also supports WMA files and subscription based WMA music.

The Soundwave is not the prettiest player, nor does it have the best interface, but if you often find yourself in need of music in places where a normal MP3 player would not last too long, then the Soundwave is going to be one of your only options.

It is waterproof enough to use for swimming laps, and the included waterproof headphones sound surprisingly good underwater. My test involved sticking my head underwater in the bathtub, which shows how dedicated I am at delivering reliable reviews!

The Freestyle Audio Soundwave costs $89.99 directly from the manufacturer, or as low as $63.80 from Amazon.com.

Product review – Arkon mobile device mounts

by Scott Carmichael on

In this product review, I’m going to give you a quick look at a collection of products that can help mount your portable devices in a car or other vehicle.

In recent years, we’ve seen more and more device convergence – GPS has been added to your phone and phones are being added to GPS units. As we slowly move towards the ultimate single device, there is a growing need to be able to have easy access to that device in the car.

In my case, I often use my mobile phone with a navigation software package, and there is nothing more annoying than having to try and balance it on the dashboard in the hope it doesn’t slide off as I’m trying to find the right highway exit.
This is where Arkon mobile device mounts can help. Arkon have developed a massive collection of mounts specifically designed for your phone, PDA, media player or smartphone, as well as mounts for most existing GPS units.

Each mount consists of 2 parts; one part for the device itself, and one part that mounts to your car.

Arkon offers loads of options for mounting to your car including mounts for in your cupholder, on the sun visor, on the vents, with a windshield mounted suction cup, a dash mounted friction beanbag and even mounts that attach to the power outlet in the car. In addition to these universal mounts, Arkon also offers a lineup of vehicle specific mounts.

If you are like me, you’ll need a mount that can be moved from (rental) car to car. For this purpose, I found the windshield mount to be the best solution as the mount is nice and small, and folds up to be very compact.

Once you have selected the right vehicle mount, you can easily clip the device mount to it. This also means that any investment you make in the vehicle mount is never lost if you upgrade your device and purchase a new mount for it, you simply slide the old mount off and replace it with the new one.

The mounts are very reasonably priced. An iPhone mount is just $19.95 (plus $7.50 shipping). Larger or more complicated mounts like the beanbag mount or the sturdy gooseneck mount retail for $29.95.

My windshield mount has become a standard piece of kit I carry around with me, along with device adapter for my PDA and iPhone. Being able to actually see the screen of my device and keep it from flying through the car is great.

You can find the entire lineup of Arkon mounts on their site, where you’ll also find handy guides on how to pick the best mount for your specific needs.

The best phone for international travel?

by Scott Carmichael on

I’ve written about the scam that is international roaming charges in the past, and I mentioned briefly how you can bypass paying an arm and a leg to talk to the folks you left behind. But in this article I’m going to tell you what I consider to be the best phone on the market for international travelers; The T-Mobile Blackberry Curve.

Why the curve, and not the sexy iPhone? Well, the Blackberry Curve has 2 very interesting features you won’t find with any other carrier, or any other phone. One is unique to the phone itself, and one is unique to T-mobile.

The Blackberry Curve (as well as several other T-Mobile Blackberry smartphones) comes equipped with Wi-Fi. And while that may not be very special, the Wi-Fi in these phones supports a mobile calling system called “UMA”. UMA is essentially a method of connecting to the mobile network using Wi-Fi and the Internet, instead of cellular towers.

What this means, is that as long as you can get the phone connected to the Internet over Wi-Fi, you’ll be able to use it just like you do when you are back home.
For example; lets say you are in Denmark. The cost of a call from your mobile phone in Denmark back home, is $1 per minute. But if you have free Wi-Fi at your hotel, you simply let the Blackberry connect to that, and you can make calls as long as you want, using the minutes in your plan. Better yet; you can even send and receive text messages, and get online, without any insane roaming charges. If you subscribe to the T-Mobile hotspot@home service, you’ll be able to make unlimited domestic calls for just $10 a month.

The second reason why I recommend the Blackberry for international use, is the T-Mobile Blackberry international plan. For just $19.95 per month, you can send and receive as many emails as you want, on any mobile network in the world. To put that in perspective; AT&T will charge you $16 for just one Megabyte of data (about 20 or 30 emails). The T-mobile Blackberry International plan can even be added for a portion of the month, and you’ll only be charged the pro-rated price.

I have used my Blackberry abroad many times, and never received a bill with more than $10 in roaming fees (you won’t always be in range of Wi-Fi). Of course, there are alternatives to making Internet calls back home, but the Blackberry does it so effortlessly that it’s almost a no-brainer.

My only tip is to disable the “mobile network” option on the Blackberry before making a call, as the Blackberry can switch between Wi-Fi and cellular seamlessly, and if the Wi-Fi connection drops, you might be back to $1/min calls without noticing it.

Finally; one other reason why I prefer T-Mobile over any other carrier, is that they have a very liberal phone unlocking policy. Anyone who has an account “in good standing” can get the unlock code for their phone after just 90 days. Once your phone is unlocked, you’ll be able to swap out your own sim card for a prepaid card at your destination.

Product review – The Notebook Buddy

by Scott Carmichael on

In this product review, I’m going to give you a quick look at a simple, yet effective product that makes using your laptop on the road a little easier (and cooler).

The Notebook Buddy is a 13.5″x9.5″ mat designed to place under your laptop. The mat is about half an inch thick, and is comprised of what I can only describe as thousands of little plastic springs.

On the top of the mat is a fabric mesh and by creating this open design, you can put your laptop on the mat, and heat will be transported away from it without blocking the vents.

If you have ever used your computer on your lap for any period of time, you’ll know that after about 30 minutes the heat can become unbearable. In the past, I’ve used all kinds of active cooling pads with little fans, but the major disadvantage of those, is that they drain your battery really fast and that they are a nuisance to carry around, The Notebook Buddy weighs just 3.2 ounces, and slips right into your laptop bag.The product is about as simple as it can get; you don’t need to plug it in, it does not require much space and it is ready to use right away. Another added advantage is that the padding makes it a comfortable product to use on your lap.

I put the product to the test by letting my laptop run for 30 minutes without a cooling pad, and measured the temperature. When it was directly on my lap, the temperature of the bottom of the machine was 114F.

After letting the machine cool down for 2 hours, I tested it again, using the Notebook Buddy. In this test I could not measure any rise in temperature on my lap, even after the laptop had been powered on for 30 minutes.

Naturally, the half inch gap between my lap and the notebook helps insulate things, but the special material used in the product helps circulate air from under the computer. If you have ever placed your computer on a bed, you’ll know that the bottom of the machine is where most of the vents (and heat) can be found.

The Notebook Buddy retails for $18.95 and can be purchased directly from their web site. Shipping is with UPS Ground, and is just $5. With Christmas slowly approaching, you might also be interested to know that the company behind the Notebook Buddy can customize the product with your logo, turning it into a nice corporate gift.

There are other cooling products out there, but this is by far the lightest, easiest and cheapest product I’ve found. The design of the Notebook Buddy really follows the “keep it simple” principle, no moving parts and nothing to bend or break. The price may seem a little steep for what you get, but when you consider that overheating on your laptop can cause the entire machine to become unusable, it’s a pretty justifiable investment.