Bolse® Universal Travel Adapter with USB Charger

Bolse universal travel adapter is plug adapter. It does no voltage conversion. This plug adapter is different from other international plugs adapters I have in two ways:



(1) It is all-in-one plug not multiple small plugs like my other adapter sets. This is good because pieces are not going to get lost and always be there when you need them. The "price" for being all-in-one plug that this unit is bigger than any one of the individual country adapter. The Bolse adapter's size is 2 3/8" x 1 3/4" x 2 1/4" with all prongs retracted. Its weight is 3.1 oz.



(2) In addition to the AC outlet it also has an USB port built into the unit.

Having a USB port is extremely handy for recharging mobile devices.

I tested the USB port with Tested with Nexus 7 Tab, Galaxy Nexus Phone, Galaxy 7.7 Tab using Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.



The results of my test is that the plug worked well with Nexus Android devices, but did not work with Samsung Galaxy Tab.

✔ Nexus 7 Tab........................... charging at AC rate

✔ Galaxy Nexus Phone............... charging at AC rate

✔ Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tab......... discharging



OPERATION:

--------------

The plug operated very smoothly and I am attaching a video which demonstrates how the plug is switched between different configurations.

✔ For USA plug

Slightly press the button and slide to the right for USA/AUST plug completely as shown. Make sure the contact blades are turned to the parallel position.



✔ For Australia/New Zealand plug

Slightly press the button and slide to the right for USA/AUST plug completely as shown. Make sure the contact blades are Rotated to "\ /"position.



✔ For United Kingdom plug

Slightly press the button and slide to the left Ir UK plug completely as shown. Pull out the insulated ground pin from the housing.



✔ For EUROPEAN plug

Make sure the button is slid back to the center then press the button for Europe plug to pop out.



When the adapter is plugged into the wall socket, the "power" indicator lights up showing that the AC power and USB are operational. This plugs maximum power is 6A. This means some appliances that require higher power (for example some hair dryers) may not work. Check your appliance label to see if it requires less than 6A.

 

I am also attaching a collage of two photos.  The first photo demonstrate how this plug fits on the power strip. It is fairly large and covers two outlets on the standard size strip. The second photo demonstrating Galaxy 7.7 tab running the Battery app (discharging).



I was provided a sample unit for testing, evaluation and writing a review. I provided pluses and minuses of my experience with this unit, and if you have questions I have not answered I am happy to reply to comments.



Overall, this plug performed well in all tests other than charging Samsung Galaxy Tablet. This plug is very well suited to those people who travel to many different countries. They can really take advantage of one plug that works in over 150 different countries. If you only travel to one country, then one dedicated plug might work better because it is smaller and lighter.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Geritrex benzoin compound tincture for skin protectant

Benzoin tincture of benzoin is typically used as a treatment for damaged skin. It is often applied before applying tape or other adhesive bandages, especially if you have to keep taping and re-taping the same area. I use it slightly differently. I have a friend who is an avid skier and applies Benzoid Tincture to avoid blisters from skiing boots. When I told him about a corn I have on top of one of my toes which is irritated by otherwise very comfortable shoes, he suggested I start using a bit of Benzoid Tuncture on top of my toe. Since Benzoid tincture is often used as an antiseptic (due it the benzoin as well as its alcohol solvent) I felt safe using it on a corn that was irritated. I found that the compound really helps. Now my corn feels less irritated and less painful.



I am attaching a photo that shows an open container of the benzoin tincture. The content is a dark brown thick liquid that hardens a bit as it dries. A small hole in the cap allows you to dispense a small amounts. The liquid does stain if you spill it as I found out the first time I applied it to my toe. Now I put something under my foot as I apply the compound.



Overall, using it on my toe every day made me more comfortable and I recommend it.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Bolse® 150 Watt 12v DC to 110v AC Power Inverter with Dual USB and AC Port Charger

This power inverter allows you to convert the DC voltage in your car plug to AC voltage, so you can plug in devices that do not come with a car plug.



This plug offers many positives (listed below) and one negative which I illustrate with a short video. I am also attaching a collage of three photos.

 



The inverter is 5 3/8 inches long from the tip to the end with the outlets. It is 3 inches wide. The plug pivots about 45% in each direction.



Photo #1 shows the inverter plugged into the cigarette lighter outlet in the car. Photo #2 shows that despite being fairly wide it fits into a tight area where the cigarette lighter outlet is located.



➨ POSITIVES:



✔ This inverter provides 2 AC outlet and 2 USB ports.

✔ USB charging ports rated at 5 VDC. When I plugged in Nexus 7 Tab and Galaxy Nexus Phone directly into USB ports of this device they get AC level of power.

I used Battery App by Elvison to determine how mobile devices recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.

Photo #3 show Galaxy Nexus running the battery app while plugged into the USB port of this inverter.

✔ I tried several devices in AC port and they worked well as well. My most frequent use for the AC outlets is to use it with my battery chargers: my camera's recharger as well as my AA/AAA battery recharger.

This inverter supports devices with continuous power requirement of 150 watts or less. Note that the manual recommends that devices plugged into inverter should require 80% or less of the 150 watts rating for this device (i.e. 120 watts).

✔ The inverter has built-in low voltage protection, over voltage protection, over load protection, short circuit protection and over heat protection.



➨ NEGATIVE:



✔ To provide cooling the inverter has a built-in fan. The fan on my plug generated noticeable hum. I took a short video to illustrate the noise. It really did not bother me, but my husband was somewhat annoyed by it.

I was provided a sample unit for testing and writing an honest and unbiased review. Overall, I liked this inverter. About a year ago I bought a similar inverter from Radio Shark so I would be able to recharge batteries for my cameras on field trips. Comparing the two plugs I like this plug better because (1) its list price is less expensive then the amount I paid at RadioShark (2) it gives me two AC outlets and two USB outlets, where as RadioShark unit gave me one of each.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

FRIEQ® Universal Waterproof Case for Apple iPhone 5, Galaxy S3, HTC One X, Galaxy Note 2 - IPX8 Certified to 100 Feet

This waterproof case is rated for 100 feet submersion. I have used cases with similar closures in the past for my camera and had good successes having my camera in a kayak even when I flipped the kayak. To be sure about this bag I tested it by enclosing a wad of toilet paper to approximate the thickness of the phone and dropped into a bucket of water. Several hours later I examined the toilet paper and it remained dry.



I am attaching several photos which can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo.



The size of this case is 4" by 7". The case is flat so if you are measuring your device you need to allow room for thickness as well as length + width.



I used Nexus Galaxy phone for testing. Several notes about the phone. The Nexus Galaxy phone is not officially listed as a phone which would fit into this case. However Nexus Galaxy phone is similar in size to Galaxy SIII and Galaxy SI SGH-T989 (it fits cradles made for these phones). In addition Nexus Galaxy phone is normally used with an extra large battery (Hyperion Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus 3800mAh Extended Battery) which makes it significantly fatter than a standard battery.



I tested both configurations with a regular battery and the large battery figuring this will be of interest to some people. Not surprisingly, it was a good fit for the regular battery. The larger battery was not a good fit. It was so tight that I stopped the insertion in fear of tearing the case. I am attaching a photo of the phone with the large battery being inserted into the case so if you use a similarly thick battery you can see the fit for yourself.



Whether you like water sports, skiing, or just want to keep the phone dry in a pouring rain this case will do a nice job.



I was provided a sample cases for testing and for writing a fair and unbiased review.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Book review: The 5th Dimension Password Keeper by Michael E Pipkins

We are all familiar with a problem of trying to come with good strong passwords for various web sites we use and then trying to remember them. The author's goal is to solve both of these problems.



People have used ciphers to encode messages for ages. To decode a message you need to know a cipher and a key. A cipher is a source of letters which are used to substitute the letters in your text, and a key are the rules which use you to make the substitutions.



The authors adapted this standard encoding technique and applied it to password generation and an aid for recollecting passwords. The book contains a brief 7 page explanation of how this cipher works. It is written in a simple language which is easily understood by people who are not familiar with any encryption techniques. The rest of the book provides 104 pages which you can use to generate and keep track of your passwords. Each of 104 pages containing its own cipher and with the use of the same key (i.e. your rules) you would have a 104 different passwords. The length of the password and the position of the letters is your key. As long as you don't mark the book to expose the rules you are totally safe even if someone sees a page for a specific web site.



Once you make a commitment to his approach, you will not be able to remember your passwords without this book as they will be random strings of letters and symbols. The author of the book offers a pocket edition of the password keeper on his web site (currently $2.94 including shipping), which allows a person to keep 15 most used passwords (3 computer logins, 3 emails, 9 websites) in a wallet. The tables on the 15 pages of the pocket book match the first 3 tables for logins, the first 3 tables for emails, and the first 9 websites in the full size book. So when you create your passwords in the full size book you need to keep in mind which passwords you want to include in your pocket size guide and put them first. If you don't want to use the pocket guide, you can use a copier to copy and shrink those pages to take with you.



There are situations where this approach does not work very well. For example, several web site I use impose very strict rules on passwords. For example, some require the password to have one capital, one number, and one special character. Your key may not generate a string that follows those rules. I also ran into some website that do not allow special characters, which are included in the cipher tables, so you might not be able to use the string generated by the key. The author anticipated such situations by suggesting writing down the exception below the table, such as "replace the first character with a capital" or "replace the third character with x", which does not decrease security by much. I agree. However it makes the rules more complicated and marries you to the book even more.



This is a very secure way to generate passwords. The downside of this approach is that you become totally dependent on this book, and if you forget to take your cheat-sheet with you when you travel chances are you will not be able to get into your own accounts.



You can find this book on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★☆☆



The author provided me a review copy of this book for an honest and unbiased review.

FRIEQ® Premium Microfiber Cleaning Pads for Phones and Tablets (iPad, iPhone, Nexus, Galaxy)

FRIEQ Microfiber cleaning pads are unique because each pad is a little pocket. To demonstrate how they work I am attaching a video and a collage of 4 photos. The video demonstrates the cleaning pads cleaning my tablet. They remove the smudges very effectively.

Photo #4 and #4 show before and after photos of the phone, where the cleaning pad took care of cat hair and smudges. Photo #1 shows the content of the entire package - it contains three pads. I put one near the computer, one in my purse, and gave one to my husband. Photo #2 shows the pads next to the ruler. Their size is 2.5" by 5" (the entire length) with 3" pocket. The material feels like suede. It really holds what it picks up well, I noticed this particularly with cat hair! The pads are washable.

I tested using this pad for cleaning my glasses but did not like it as much for that use as I did for the tablet and phone. I like cleaning my glasses by rubbing on both sides of the glass at the same time rather than swiping. This motion with the pad on both sides of my eye glasses was a little awkward. It worked, but holding the pad was not convenient for me. By comparison when I cleaned the tablet/phone the pad's pocket felt like a natural fit for the motion.



I received a sample for evaluation and writing an honest and unbiased review. I hope my demonstration gives you a good idea of the effectiveness of this cleaning pad.



Overall, I found them very effective in cleaning, and their small size in convenient for carrying around.

You can find these cloth on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★★

Ayl Accessorise (TM) Portable Bluetooth Wireless Mini Speaker System for PC / Cell Phone / Tablet / MP3 Player (Silver) Accessorise (TM) Portable Bluetooth Wireless Mini Speaker System

Several months ago we were on the market for a bluetooth speaker for the car, so I have done quite a bit of research comparing different mini bluetooth speakers. The overall winner of that comparison was DBEST London PS4001BT speaker.  When I received an offer from Accessorise to receive an evaluation unit of their mini speaker for review purposes I was eager to compare it with the other speakers I recently evaluated.

Accessorise mini bluetooth speaker is an attractive black/silver dome which is 2.4 oz in weight and about 2.5" wide. It can be used as a bluetooth speaker as well as be plugged in using 3.5mm jack for devices that are not bluetooth enabled. I tested it pairing with Nexus 7 Tab, Galaxy Nexus Phone, Galaxy 7.7 Tab and using the jack with Sansa Clip+ MP3. All of them worked well.



I am attaching a collage of 3 photos (it can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo). The first photo shows the speaker next to the ruler. Phone #2 and Photo #3 show the two sides of the speaker. Photo #2 shows the button that controls all functions of this speaker. If you briefly touch the button it turns the speaker on and off (which results a slow blink of the blue light on speaker). If you push the button and hold it it goes into pairing mode (which results a quick blink blink of the blue light). The same button is used to pause (press while playing), skip to the next or previous song (rotate change volume control), or change volume (rotate left or write and hold). Because one button is overloaded with many functions it requires a slight learning curve to learn how to operate it. The main trick for pairing is to make sure you see a fast blink before you scan for bluetooth devices.



The speaker can be recharged by connection the standard USB cable.



The range of the speaker is about 30 feet (approximately 10 meters). When I went further away the sound began breaking up.



To do the comparison with DBEST mini speaker I listened to both speakers in the car. I used two music pieces to evaluate speakers, playing each using one speaker then the other: Edith Piaf, Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien and well as a classical music piece.



Both speakers were impressive and were able to generate well amplified sound. Mid range was comparable for both speakers, DBEST produce better richer base.



There is one other minor but possibly significant in practice difference: DBEST speaker has a loop as part of its body, which gives us multiple options for mounting it in the car. We have it hanging from that loop on the driver's side. Ayl speaker has no options for hanging, it is designed to stand on it base. If we were to use it in the car we would need to rig something up, perhaps gluing a loop to it.



Overall, it is a nice little speaker with the sound which is rather impressive for its size.



You can find AYL speaker on Amazon by following this link.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★☆