Author: Rebecca Armstrong

BUY FROM AMAZON Great audio for music and an in-ear running coach The Run Free Pro BIO Bluetooth earphones offer great sound quality with punchy bass and clear vocals. What sets these apart from other sport headphones, however, is the AI Beflex Biomech Engine, which offers in-ear coaching while you run. Used through the Soul Fit app, the coach suggests corrections to your running form to decrease risk of injury and to make sure you’re working out efficiently. FIRST IMPRESSIONS I had a generally positive first impression of the Run Free Pro BIO earphones. The packaging is well-designed and secure,…

BUY FROM AMAZON Alexa integration, USB charging and Bluetooth compatibility in one device. I admittedly did not have the best first impression of the Aukey Spark, but as I used it more (and paid better attention to the user manual), I was left with a more positive opinion overall. The things that initially bothered me didn’t get better, per se, but the other functions proved useful enough that I could forgive them. DESIGN The first interaction you have with a product is its appearance. Upon taking the Aukey smart charger out of the packaging, I was struck with its odd…

BUY FROM AMAZON A compact mechanical keyboard that includes a numeric keypad. As a writer, my keyboard is one of my most essential tools. I spend hours a day at my computer, so I got to know the Drevo Joyeuse V2 very well in the week or so I used it. My first impression was that it’s very compact and low-profile for a mechanical keyboard. I like that it has a full numerical keypad and that you can adjust the brightness of the backlighting, but I’ll probably be switching back to my usual keyboard now that I’m finished testing this…

BUY FROM AMAZON High-quality speaker with a low pricetag. The Kew Labs K1 Bluetooth speaker is pretty impressive for what it is. It’s easy to use and has better sound than I expected. It’s also better than any of the four other Bluetooth speakers I have sprinkled throughout my house, especially at higher volumes. It puts out a lot of sound for its compact size. At max volume, it’s loud enough that I worried it’d disturb my neighbors while I was testing it out. Sound quality I used this speaker to listen to the complete Hamilton soundtrack, a few episodes…

BUY FROM AMAZON Perfect power bank for everyday use. The 5000 mAh ChargeHubGO+ is my new go-to portable power bank. Its lightweight, slim design and built-in charging cables make it compact and functional enough to carry around for everyday use, and its 5W wireless charging pad sets it apart. Charging Capabilities With a 5000 mAh capacity, the ChargeHubGO+ has enough juice to fully charge almost any smartphone on the market at least once. Its 5V/2A wired charging output is compatible with pretty much any USB-charged device on the market, including smartphones, tablets, Bluetooth headphones or wireless speakers. And it supports…

DOWNLOAD A decent relaxing puzzle game. Drop Balls 3D is a straightforward puzzle game. While it’s a little tame for my tastes, I can see how the gameplay could appeal to people who like to meticulously figure things out. Each of the fifty currently-available levels is fairly simple and can be handled in a short amount of time, which is great for a mobile game. I also like that the game doesn’t have random pop-up ads or in-app transactions. There are ads in the game, but you have to click them on purpose to get perks like extra turns in…

BUY FROM AMAZON Useful camera but needs better motion detection. The Soliom S60 solar camera is an easy-to-use way to keep an eye on your surroundings. Setting it up doesn’t require a lot of technical expertise, and it doesn’t require regular upkeep like changing batteries or charging due to its solar panels. In addition to being easy to use, it also has useful features like two-way audio, PIR motion detection, free cloud storage and customizable in-app settings that make it a solid security camera no matter your skill level. Packaging and First Impressions Full disclosure, I received two Soliom S60…

BUY FROM AMAZON An inexpensive and useful charger. The Amoner 3-Port USB wall chargers are simple, compact and perfect for travel. I love that they come in pairs, so you can keep one where you charge your phone every night and use the other as a spare or for traveling. Or, if you’re me, you can use the second one as a backup for when you inevitably lose track of the first. I plan to add one of the chargers to my travel kit because it has one more port than my current go-to product and is about the same…

The OVC H15 earphones let you tune out the world with active noise cancellation or quality sound. I enjoyed reviewing this product. From the beginning, the unboxing experience was pleasant (though my particular unit went through some rough handling in transit, it seems). It might be shallow to say that I appreciated the product’s packaging, as that really has nothing to do with the product, but it shows deliberateness in execution that makes one believe the same thoughtfulness was put into the product itself. Inside the box are the earphones, extra ear tips, a travel pouch, the instruction manual (in…

The MightyPurse Trio is a stylish solution to a simple problem. I’m pretty good about monitoring my phone usage and battery percentage, but every once in a while, I find myself with a dead phone. I do own multiple backup battery packs, which are extremely helpful when I have the foresight to carry one of them around with me, but that’s rather rare unless I’m actually planning something that involves being away from outlets all day. Part of that, I think, is because they tend to be bulky and heavy (my favorite one is bigger than my iPhone 6 Plus…

ShootShifter lets you visually organize all your photos in one place. One of my favorite parts about traveling with friends is arriving back at your room after an exhausting day of walking around an unfamiliar place and sharing all the photos from the day over the hostel’s spotty WiFi. It’s a really good refresher for when you then diligently write down everything you did in your travel journal like I don’t. Then there comes the less exciting chore of organizing all the files from different cameras and phones and getting them all in one place, preferably in chronological order and…

Norton provides strong VPN support. Norton WiFi Privacy is a subscription VPN service usable on OSX, iOS, Android, and Windows. It is a product aimed at people who use public WiFi and who also wish to protect their personal information from anyone snooping around the open connection. Norton WiFi Privacy protects users from anyone eavesdropping on their connection by creating a virtual private network (VPN) that encrypts data, doesn’t log activity, and maintains your online anonymity. For this review, I used the service on both my iPhone and MacBook Pro. The iOS app is nice and simple. The home screen…

CookiesWorld is reminiscent of Candy Crush and not nearly as fun. I really hate writing purely negative reviews. Really, I do. When I test an app or a product, I try to see it from all angles and pick out all the possible pros and cons. I try to be fair. Unfortunately, this time, it was really hard to see anything redeemable in CookiesWorld. CookiesWorld by Webcreatorhub Inc. is a match-three game for iOS. It uses candy, cookies, and other sweets as its central theme across 120 different levels, and the point of the game is to collect ingredients off…

The Moshi Venturo is a sleek, stylish backpack. As with everything I’ve reviewed from Moshi, this bag is pretty. It’s a slim cross body laptop backpack with brown leather accents and nice structure. The product I reviewed is in Bahama Blue, which I think lends a touch of class to the backpack’s modern, angular features (you can read more of my thoughts on the color here). There’s something about the diagonal slash zippered compartment on the front that makes the bag seem pretty edgy to me (especially in the black and orange color), but the classic navy/tan combo softens it…

The Solo Pro Aegis Backpack is a solid laptop backpack. Laptop backpacks are kind of hit and miss sometimes. I’ve had plenty that almost hit the mark, but then let me down. This bag is something I can see my college-self lugging around campus full of books, snacks, and my monster 17-inch Macbook Pro. It’s a standard backpack with tons of room and tons of pockets, including a large main compartment, separate padded laptop area, interior pocket for a tablet or e-reader (it’s even labeled), an interior RFID data protection pocket, two expanding side pockets for water bottles or umbrellas, and…

Mort’s Minions is a retro indie adventure. Mort’s Minions is an indie game for iOS made by Dan Bellinski. My impression of the game is that it is quirky and fun, though it can sometimes be frustrating. There are four characters that you can choose to play through the adventure, each has different abilities that you can unlock as you level and collect stars. The storyline is the same no matter who you choose to play. At first, you jump on minions to kill them and jump over obstacles. You are automatically always moving forward, so you don’t have to…

Temple Jump is a good waiting in line sort of game. Temple Jump from Nexx Studios (not to be confused with Temple Run, which is completely different) is a fun, easy mobile game for iOS. Its mechanic is extremely simple: you touch your screen to jump from platform to platform, collecting jewels and dodging obstacles as you go. The longer your touch, the higher/farther your jump. Also, the floor is lava, so if you fall, you die. It’s a nice distraction because it holds your attention while not requiring serious focus or thought. To be honest, my first impression of…

PlanChat is an app designed to aid in the planning of group outings and activities. I have tried out a few apps similar to PlanChat, apps that also are meant to help coordinate plans between multiple people. I think this is my favorite of them. From a traveler’s perspective, it’s more comprehensive. You can search and track flights and hotels in the app, document and allocate costs, group chat, create polls, browse PlanChat’s recommended experiences (like SXSW or Calle Ocho), and even create a travel bucket list. Let’s just be honest for a second, folks. There are so many apps…

The Urbana: sensible, professional and stylish. First, a story. Upon receiving the Urbana in Bahama Blue, I was asked my opinion on its appeal to men. I was iffy, so I decided to ask a few guys. My fiance said he personally wouldn’t carry it, though he likes the fabric and color scheme generally. A fellow MacSources writer said he thinks it was designed to be unisex, but slightly more for women than men. And then there was Bjorn. Bjorn told me exactly what outfit he owned and would wear with the Urbana (down to the shoes), suggested that he…

Urbana mini is a versatile, stylish tech bag. The Moshi Urbana Mini isn’t really “mini” in any aspect besides being the smaller version of the Urbana. So don’t let the name trick you into thinking this bag won’t hold everything you need. It will. There are four zippered compartments: one main, a smaller RFID shield pocket in the main compartment, and two flat pockets on the front and back. In lieu of a tablet, as I don’t regularly use one, I carried around a bunch of books for the majority of my time with the Mini thus far (I fleetingly used it…

The Arcus backpack is literally art. Maybe you don’t believe in love at first sight, but when I spotted this beauty across the room at an event earlier this year, I knew I had to have it. It’s exactly my aesthetic: minimalist, structured, neutral, and leather accented. It’s also everything anyone wants in a bag in that it has a lot of space for you to put your stuff. The body is spacious with both side and top-loading panels (so you can get to your things even if they’re at the bottom), and there are plenty of pockets and compartments…

CardHQ a fast, easy way to manage business cards. CardHQ (not to be confused with Cards HQ, the app to keep you updated on all things pertaining to the Louisville Cardinals) is an app designed to help you keep track business cards. People who might find this app useful include those who have a huge stack of business cards and contact info sheets from a conference a few weeks ago and who have been meaning to go through and add them to their address books but haven’t yet and those who take people’s business cards and immediately lose them in…

uniVERSE case system allows you to expand your phone’s features. At first glance, the OtterBox uniVERSE is pretty standard: white/gray or black color options, slim design, and drop protection like you’d expect from any OtterBox case. What sets the uniVERSE apart from any other case, however, is its modular functionality when paired with collaborative accessories from companies like olloclip, Polar Pro, SanDisk, and Square. I recently received a black uniVERSE case at ShowStoppers at CES, along with a Polar Pro Trippler Tripod to use in conjunction with it. The case, as I mentioned before, is pretty standard. It has a…

CES Unveiled displayed several devices that piqued my interest. CES Unveiled is like a teaser trailer. It sets certain expectations for the overall feel and trends of the show to come. I saw a lot of sleep tech, Alexa integration, and stuff geared towards child health and development. Now, all of that is great, but I don’t have kids, Alexa, or trouble sleeping. I kind of ended up skipping a lot of exhibitor booths. I did, however, find a few things that definitely struck my interest. Fossil Group Hybrid Smart Watches They’re as beautiful and classic as wristwatches have ever been;…

WiseWear Socialite wearable keeps you connected to what’s most important. The wearables market has upset me for a while now. Tell me the truth; have you ever seen anyone look good in an Apple Watch? Purely aesthetically, if you saw someone wearing one on the street, you wouldn’t think to yourself, “That person has style.” It’s the same with Fitbits. At a wedding earlier this month, a friend told me that she felt naked without hers, but it wouldn’t have gone with her (sparkly silver and navy) outfit. Of course, there is nothing wrong with wearables that utilize function over fashion,…

Dulp is one of those simple games that is just the right kind of frustrating. It’s a simple concept: tap your phone screen to launch colored dots at corresponding sections of a spinning wheel until you clear the level. It’s easy enough to pick up, so it’s a good game for any level of gaming expertise. There is also a colorblind mode, so anyone can play. As you move through the levels, things get trickier. The levels play with different variations of speed, size, pattern, etc., to make each a unique challenge. There are now 350 levels and an endless…

Wireless speaker has a lot of power in a small box. The Aukey portable wireless speaker is a small Bluetooth speaker with a big sound. Though it can fit in the palm of your hand (it does in mine, and I have rather small hands), it produces enough sound to easily fill a room and more. I’m going to start off by saying that I believe the unit I received may have had a one-off defect. After a bit of use, it sometimes skips like a scratched CD. I’ve tried it across a few different devices and configurations, but the…

Tuture is a location-tracking application designed to help you remember where the heck you parked your car. I like the idea of Tuture. And now that I’ve surrendered my out-of-state plates and my vehicle looks just like everyone else’s, I do lose it more often than I’d like to admit. I also like that it is a pretty hands-off device. You just let it run, and it does its thing. You don’t have to enter your location when you leave your car or deal with any Bluetooth shenanigans. You can just forget about it until you need it. Cons include…

Scrubber does an ok job, but you are better off policing your own content. Scrubber.social is a social media service that goes through your Facebook, Twitter, or even Tumblr, and flags anything that might be considered inappropriate or controversial. Anyone looking for a job or just looking to clean up their internet presence might find this tool useful. Unfortunately, you have to pay for it. I say unfortunately not because I don’t think this service is worth the money but because I like free things. There is a free trial of sorts, but it only tells you the first few…

My Panda is your security barometer all over the world. My Panda is an application self-described as a barometer for security. In the United States, its services are active in New York City, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Miami, and Los Angeles. I, being in Utah, was not actually in any of these areas for my review, so I snooped around like I was in L.A. Of the cities My Panda covers, it is the closest to me; therefore I got the L.A. news and security info anyway, which I found interesting. If you’re planning to travel to one of the…