Bolse® Micro Usb Charging Dock Cradle with audio output for Samsung Galaxy Phones

I tested Bolse Charging Dock with Nexus Galaxy phone with Hyperion Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus 3800mAh Extended Battery. This extended battery makes the phone much thicker and often presents problems fitting into devices designed for phones with their regular slim batteries. However Bolse Charging Dock handles this challenging configuration well. This dock has a nice feature that the micro-USB docking plug can be moved and re-positioned, this accommodates different port positions on various phones.



I am attaching a collage of 4 photos that I will be referencing in my review.

The first photo shows the phone in the dock charging. I used Battery App by Elvison to determine how the devices recognizes 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. As you see in this photo, the charging source is recognized as 'AC'.



I use the same test when I test various charging devices so I can compare them to each other. My methodology is to charge each device I own on each port of the unit for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. Bolse dock charged the phone from 76% to 81% in 10 minutes, which is a 5% difference and ranks well among various devices I have tested.



The second photo shows the profile of the phone in the charging dock to give you an idea of the shape of the battery in case you are using a different extended battery.



Photo #3 shows my ear buds plugged into the the audio pass-through in the back of the docking station. When the phone is in the charging dock its audio output is blocked by the dock, so this audio pass-through is designed to make audio out available. However it did not work for this phone, there was no sound.



Phone #4 shows a top down view of the dock. The top of the devices has 4-LED light that surrounds the pen/stylus holder. This indicator cannot be turned off.



Bolse dock also fits our Nexus 7 tablet, but the fit required Nexus 7 to be placed with the back cover forward. The audio did not work with the Nexus 7 either.



Bolse dock comes with a 4-foot USB to micro-USB cable. It has a 1-year warranty



I was provided a sample unit for an honest and unbiased review and covered positives and negatives of my experience with this docking station.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★☆

DB-Tech Multi-Purpose Pressurized Steam Cleaning and Sanitizing System with Attachments - Great Handheld Steam Cleaner For Bed Bug Treatment - Indoors, Outdoor, Kitchen, Bathroom, Shower, Closet, Patio, Garage and Car DB-Tech Multi-Purpose Pressurized Steam Cleaning and Sanitizing System

DB-Tech steam cleaner weights 2.5 pounds and generates steam from 8oz of water per each fill. How much cleaning can you do on that amount of steam? A lot! On my initial test I cleaned the bathroom floor, the tub, the sink, the kitchen floor, the kitchen counters, and the kitchen sink. I am attaching a video of two parts of the cleaning. In the first part of the video I am cleaning the bathroom sink. This is a close up so you can see the steam it generates. In the second part of the video I am cleaning the kitchen counter under the coffee maker. I have not looked under there for a few months and found a nice big dried up coffee stain, which was for a perfect for a cleaning test. To clean it I had to steam it twice. Note that I am not using any cleaning solutions, just the steam and a paper towel.



I am also attaching a collage of three photos.

The first photo contains everything that came in the package: a funnel and a measuring cup, and an assortments of cleaning attachments: spray nozzle with bristle brush, bent spray nozzle, flexible extension hose, door/window/clothing attachment, window washing squeegee, terrycloth cover.



The second photo shows a close up of the cover. Even those the outside of the steamer is plastic, the boiler is made out of cast aluminium to withstand high pressure. In the photo you can see the metal coupling that holds the cap to the body of the steamer.



Photo #3 shows the steamer warming up in order to generate steam. When the steam is read the light on the front turns off. It will turn back while you use it to generate more steam when needed. So before using the steamer you need to wait until the light goes off for the first time. The instructions say to wait 3-5 minutes after the unit it initially plugged in, and the light went off at about 4 minutes.

You need to keep the steamer plugged as you use it, as it will re-generate the steam as needed. The unit comes with 12 foot cord, so I needed to move from outlet to outlet as I was cleaning.



The steamer's body should not be tilted downwards more than 45 degrees to avoid spilling hot water out of the nozzle. The angled nozzle and flexible hose nozzle are used when you need to reach a spot which would have required tilting the steamer more than 45 degrees. I have tried several nozzles and all of them were easy to put on and lock in to the steamer.



Could I have cleaned the coffee stain without the steam cleaner? Yes. But it would have taken a cleaning solution and more elbow grease.



I received an evaluation unit from the manufacturer for a thorough and unbiased review. I have not owned a steam cleaner before, and I was pretty impressed with how well it worked. The light weight of the steamer made it easy to use anywhere, one fill lasted much longer than I expected, and it did a nice job cleaning. I hope the video gives you a good idea of what to expect.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★★

Hipe 8 LED Light and Motion-sensing Night Light

Hipe 8 LED night light is a light and motion sensitive light. It turns on only when ambient light reaches a certain degree of low illumination. I am attaching a video which demonstrates how it turns on in the dark, and does not turn on from the same motion when the light is on. In my experiments it reliably senses motion within 55" (4.6 feet).

       

I am also attaching a collage of two photos. The first photo show a close-up of the light with the lights on. The lights are covered with frosted cover, so it does not hurt to look straight at the light. The second photo shows how much light the light generates it total darkness with a set of fresh batteries (some of the stock photos make it appear brighter than it is in reality).

   

The light has three settings: an off position, an always on position, and auto which activates the motion detector. It operates on 4 AA batteries, inserted in the compartment on the back of the unit. On the front of the unit there is a red led which starts flickering every 5 seconds when battery power is low. The unit is 4.5 inches in diameter.



The light comes with two mounting hardware options a double sticky tape and a screw (with a hollow wall jacket).



I placed this light in the basement in a dark area where I don't have enough light to see the shelves and it does a nice job of providing light only when I need it.



I received the light from manufacture for testing and review. I put it through a number of tests so I can provide honest and unbiased feedback, and I am always happy to answer comments if I did not cover some aspect of its functionality.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★★

Garnier Olia Oil Powered Permanent Haircolor, 4.0 Dark Brown

I recently began coloring my hair to keep on top of the grey hairs that began springing up in my dark brown hair.  I like to have a natural color so noone can even guess I color my hair.



Garnier has a large selection of colors. I selected Garnier's Olia 4.0 dark brown color and the color came out nicely.  The color is very natural and matched the rest of my hair very well.  This is the good news part of the review.





On the negative side, I did not like the applicator. It is attractive looking, but the tear drop shaped bottle is not comfortable to hold and is slippery when the gloves are soaked with color mixture. The bottle is totally smooth and round and the sleek gloves had trouble holding on to it.



The color mixture is fairly thick. I started applying it directly to roots by parting the hair.  Because I found the bottle hard to hold I switched to using a brush to apply color and that worked better for me.



The color had no amonia and thus no amonia smell, that was very nice. I found the flowery fragrance a bit too strong. I would have preferred a lighter scent or unscented.



I liked that the color stains on my skin around the hair line washed off easily without much scrubbing.



The bottom line of my experience: nice color and uncomfortable applicator. I plan to use it again with the following modifications: I would use some masking tape to create folds and grooves on the bottle so that the surface is no so smooth. I would also be applying the color from the bottle on to the brush and then use the brush to apply it to the hair.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★☆

Product reveiw: DBTech Digital LED Clock with Circling LED second indicator

This an attractive black clock with a red read out (it also comes in blue and green LEDs). It shows seconds by lighting up dots in a circular pattern around the face of the clock. The clock is rather eye catching. I put in my basement and it added a decorative touch that was a nice bonus to the practical need of telling the time. The size of the unit is 9 7/8" square and 1.5" wide. The time readout is 1 3/4" by 1 2/3". It is easy to see even for people with imperfect vision like mine. This clock runs on AC power and comes with the cord that is 118 inches long (almost 10 feet).


The clock has three settings of brightness. I am attaching a collage of 3 photos to demonstrate various aspects of the clock. 



The first two photos show the dial of the clock a about 20 seconds apart so you can see how the display changes with time.



The third photo shows the back of the clock. You can also see the AC plug that powers the clock. On the bottom left you see the three buttons that control changing time and brightness. The controls are pretty easy. To change time you use two buttons and then hit the third to save the new time. And you can toggle the middle button to toggle between three levels of brightness. On the brightest setting I selected I can read the time even with the sun hits the clock.


The clock has a built-in back-up battery. When you disconnect the clock or if you lose power it keeps time (but not does not display to save energy). The clock arrived showing correct time and I tested this feature by disconnecting the clock for several hours.


The clock can either be hung on the wall or can stand on its base, as shown in my photos #1 and #2. Since the controls to change time and brightness are located on the back, you would need to remove the clock from the wall if you had to make changes. The fact that the clock runs on AC power the cord somewhat limits where you can place it, but I was able to find a perfect spot within 10 feet of the outlet. The cord, of course, can be extended with an extension cord if needed. The clock's cord has a non-polarized plug.


To summarize: I like how it looks and that is is easy for me to see from a long distance. Finding a perfect spot within 10 feet of the outlet was a bit of a challenge but worked out very well.


I received an evaluation unit for testing and unbiased review, and I described the pluses and minuses of my experience with this clock.


I am really enjoying this clock and would recommend it.







You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

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AshopZones review ★★★★★

DBTech Big Oversized Digital Red LED Calendar Clock with Day Date and Temperature (12" / Blue LED) DBTech Big Oversized Digital Red LED Calendar Clock with Day Date and Temperature

This is a good looking, large LED clock. The size of the unit is 15.875" by 7.5" by 1.5" thick. The time numbers are 2 1/4" in height and 1 3/8" wide. The day of the week and month are in slightly smaller font, the letters are 1 1/2" high on the second line. This clock is AC powered and its cord is 71".



The clock has three settings of brightness. I am attaching a collage of 5 photos that can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo.

The first photo shows the clock on my night table, here you can see the relative size of the clock - it is quite large and easy to see. The second photo shows the back of the clock. On the bottom left you see the three buttons that control changing time and brightness. The controls are pretty easy. You can also see the AC plug - this clock runs on AC power. The clock has three levels of brightness, and pictures 3,4,5 show the three settings. Photo#3 has the lowest brightness, Photo#5 has the highest brightness. Note that my camera displayed brighter settings in lighter color, and in real life the font looks deep blue in all three settings just brighter and brighter. I keep the clock on the lowest setting as I placed it in the bedroom. During the night the clock added some light in the room, but we found it not to be too bright.



The clock has a built-in back-up battery. When you disconnect the clock or if you lose power it keeps time (but not does not display to save energy).



The clock can either be hung on the wall (it came with a mounting hardware) or can stand on its base, as shown in my photo #1. Since the controls to change time and brightness are located on the back, you would need to remove the clock from the wall if you had to make changes. The fact that the clock runs on AC power and the cord somewhat limits where you can place it. As I mentioned earlier the cord is 71" and that was too short to reach where we wanted to place it, so we are running it using an extension cord. The clock has a non-polarized plug.



I am really enjoying the clock - I find it very handy to have both the time and the calendar information displayed. The thermometer seems to run 2 degrees lower than the whether station we also have in the bedroom. I brought in a third thermometer to arbitrate and it showed the temperature in the middle of the two numbers.



To summarize: I liked the look of the clock, display is great to see, love the blue color, nice to have three brightness levels, helpful that it keeps the time even when disconnected.

The things that were somewhat inconvenient - controls on the back that require to take the clock off the wall to adjust, short cord, thermometer is not totally accurate.



I received an evaluation unit for testing and unbiased review, and I described the pluses and minuses of my experience with this clock.



The negatives are very minor and I mention them just to be thorough and complete in my review. I am really enjoying this clock.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★★

Hipe 15+5 LED Emergency Power failure Light / Flashlight / Automatic Motion-sensing Night light

Hipe Motion Sensor light consists of a charger and a light which doubles as a flashlight and as night light. The lights has 15 LED lights on one of the sides (they serve as a lights of the night light) and  5 LED lights on one of the ends (which work as a flash light).  I am attaching a video which demonstrates the function of the light. The video was shot in the dusk, not it the total duckness so you would be able to see the operation of the buttons. I am also attaching a photo which shows the brightness of the light in total darkness. 



The night light is light and motion sensitive.  It does not turn on during the day. In the dark it does not turn on unless there is motion very close to it.  The light goes off in 20 seconds if does not detect any motion.  Because of the fairly shallow range of motion detection this light works well in the bedroom. It goes on when someone walk by it, but does not go on if there is motion in the bed 3 feet away from it.  It works very well as an emergency light: it is being constantly recharged so it is always ready, it is easy to find as it is in a specific location and turns on when you get close to it.



Recharger fits into one of the outlets of the double outlets, the second outlet is free to be used by something else. The lenght of the light is 6 inches, it is 2" wider at its widest point.

  



I received a sample unit for testing and review. I have been using this light for over a week and I am very satisfied with how it functions.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.









AshopZones review ★★★★★