Dalen NB1 7-Foot by 20-Foot Bird-X Net 3/4-Inch Mesh

I purchased this netting to protect miniature raspberry bushes from the birds. The size of the netting openings is just right and it was fairly easy to work with.

I am attaching a photo which shows the netting on my hand so you can see the relative size of the netting grid, as well as over the potted raspberry bush so you see how it looks from a distance.



Overall, I am pleased with it and plan to re-use it next year.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



AshopZones review ★★★★★

3 in 1 Card Reader Adapter Cable Camera Connection Kit, 3 Port Card Reader for Ipad and iPad Mini by Eurekka®

I tested this 3 in 1 card using my SONY NEX-5N camera, USB memory stick, and SD card with iPadMini. I am attaching a photo collage that I will be referencing in this review, which can be found by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo.



Attaching the camera with USB cable just worked. Copying photos, videos, and other files from a memory card/stick also works if you follow the rules that iPad Mini expects. I describe these rules below.



Sometimes I need to copy files to my iPad Mini while I don't have a Wi Fi or my PC with iTunes handy. I want to be able to insert a memory card and copy the files to my iPad Mini. 3-in-1 card reader allowed me to do this, but it required me to figure out how to use what iPad Mini allows me to do to accomplish my desired goal.



I discovered that not every memory stick works in the card reader. Some memory sticks generate an error message "The connected USB device requires too much power". See photo #1 in collage of photos I am including for reference in this review. The smaller older memory sticks tend to work better. None of my large memory sticks worked, however one of the old non brand name 1Gig memory sticks worked (an old 1Gig SanDisk did not).



The 3 in 1 Card Reader documentation says "When you insert U-Disk/TF/SD card into the reader your iPad automatically opens the photo app which lets you select which photos to import." This is how it worked when I used it directly with the camera. However, when I copied several photos to a memory stick and inserted it in to the card reader and nothing happened.



Turns out I had to follow a very specific format for naming my files and the directory structure where I place them:



✔ 1. Use FAT file format on the USB drive (this is the format used by cameras and thus expected by iPad)



✔ 2. Create a folder on your memory stick called DCIM.



✔ 3. Copy your files into that folder. The files have to be stored directly in the DCIM folder of the memory card or memory stick. No sub-folders are allowed, images at the top level are not seen.



✔ 4. Name the photo images following the camera image conventions:



"_DSC" followed by 4 digit number followed by ".JPG", for example, _DCS0001.JPG.

You can also transfer movies by naming the files with an 8 digit number followed by .m4v extension, e.g. "00000001.m4v"



✔ 5. As soon as I renamed the files on my card/stick to follow these conventions iPad Mini immediately began showing thumbnails of the images that are on the card. When the transfer process is done you'll be asked if you want to delete the images that were just transferred or if you'd prefer to keep them on the memory stick/card.



This technique could be used to move files other than photos or movies, as long as you have an iPad app that knows how to open such files. For example you can zip text files into a zip file myfile.zip and then rename the zip file to be called myfilezip.pdf. When Photo app starts you can import your PDF file. To get the PDF file out of the Photo import folder, you need to open it with an app that knows how to handle pdf extension (for example, Files Pro). Then you can rename the file back to myfile.zip and extract your files.



➨ ➨ Warning: do not leave the card reader plugged into the iPad (even without a memory stick) if you are not using it. I left it in for the day and it totally drained my battery. Without the card reader plugged in I only need to recharge my iPad Mini every few days.



I received this card reader from the manufacture for an honest review. All in all 3 in 1 Card Reader is a useful gadgets at a very good price. I hope my tips will help you get the most out of it.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Bolse® M2 10000mAh Dual Port External Battery Pack

I tested Bolse M2 (10,000 mAh) Power Pack with Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (running ICS 4.0.4) and iPad Mini. This external battery has exceptionally good behavior with iPad Mini and average performance with Galaxy Tablet.



I received this power bank from the manufacturer for an honest review be it positive or negative. Top reviewers are often asked to review new battery packs and one of the benefits of being asked to test different power banks is that it gives me an opportunity to compare them to each other using the same charging test, so I can compare them using "apples to apples" comparison. This set of tests allows me to provide unbiased results as the numbers speak for the performance of each unit.



My methodology is to charge each mobile device on each port of the unit for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. In addition I tested charging two mobile devices at the same time. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test.



I use 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.



➨ General features:

======================



Bolse M2 external battery weighs 8.7 oz. Its size is 2.5" x 5.125" x 0.75".



The pack has two USB output ports. The package include 3 tips, among them mini USB and iPad. The package also contains a micro USB cable. Galaxy tab connector and lightening cable for iPad Mini were not included and I used my own charging cables for the tests below. Some external batteries include a small flashlight, this external battery does not.



➨ Test Results:

======================



✔ Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet (using my own Galaxy tab connector cable)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1A: AC ~~~~~~ 2% change in charge in 10 minutes

2A: AC ~~~~~~ 2% change in charge in 10 minutes



✔ iPad Mini tablet (using my own lightening connector cable)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1A: AC ~~~~~~ 3% change in charge in 10 minutes

2A: AC ~~~~~~ 6% change in charge in 10 minutes



✔ iPad Mini and Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet at the same time

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1A: AC ~~~~~~ 1% change in charge in 10 minutes (Galaxy Tablet)

2A: AC ~~~~~~ 5% change in charge in 10 minutes (iPad Mini)



➨ Key finding:

======================

✔ This external battery has a very good behavior with iPad Mini, and an average performance with Galaxy Tablet. Overall it earned a 4 star rating.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link



AshopZones review ★★★★☆

Plugable 12 Outlet Power Surge Protector with Built-in Dual USB Charging Ports

Plugable 12 Outlet power surge protector provides 12 power outlets and 2 USB ports. 4 of the AC outlets are set away from the others so I could plug in my battery rechargers without covering any other outlets. The power strips measures 12" x 6" x 1", has a 6 foot cord. It claims 4320 Joules of surge protection for all 12 power outlets. The switch on the side of the power strip servers the role of power switch as well as the circuit breaker switch. Each outlet has an individual sliding cover, so you can close any outlet that is not in use or is partially obscured by another plug/charger.



I am attaching a collage of 2 photos: Photo #1 shows a variety of battery chargers, USB chargers, and a regular size small plug in this power strip. I found the outlets well spaced out to fit my needs. Photo #2 shows one minor annoyance I found in this strip. Both sides of the strip glow with green LED lights that cannot be turned on. It seems fashionable for every device to glow in the dark, I wish this was an optional light with a way to turn it off.



To test the USB ports I ran the test I use to test all chargers and power banks. The benefit of running the same test on all devices is that it allows me to compare them to each other in "apples to apples" comparison. My methodology is to charge each mobile device on each port of the unit for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test.



I use 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.



iPad Mini

_________



Port 1................ 2%.....AC

Port 2................ 2%.....AC



Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet

_________________________



Port 1................ 0%.....discharging with data cable

Port 1................ 2%.....AC with charging cable

Port 2................ 0%.....discharging with data cable

Port 2................ 2%.....AC with charging cable



iPad Mini and Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet at the same time

_________________________________________________________

Port 1................ 2%.....AC (iPad Mini)

Port 2................ 3%.....AC with charging cable (Galaxy tab)

Port 1................ 2%.....AC with charging cable (Galaxy tab)

Port 2................ 2%.....AC (iPad Mini)



These charging rates fall in the middle range of my tests, not as good as the fastest chargers but not the slowest. Given that it a bonus functionality on the well spaced power strip I am satisfied with this performance.



Plugable products offers a one year limited warranty against any defects in materials or workmanship. The warranty information can be located on Plugable web site by selecting "Support/Warranty" from the top menu of their website (and the website name is the product name followed by dot com). They state that they will repair or replace products which fail because of any defect in the first year after purchase.



Plugable provided this unit to me for testing, evaluation and review be it positive or negative. I am very pleased with the layout of the outlets. The USB ports provided reasonable speed of charging even though they were not as fast as the best rapid chargers I own. Overall, I recommend it.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Bolse® M3 6600mAh Dual Port External Battery Pack

I tested Bolse M3 (6600 mAh) Power Pack with Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (running ICS 4.0.4) and iPad Mini. It showed exceptionally good behavior with iPad Mini and average performance with Galaxy Tablet.



I received this power bank from the manufacturer for an honest review be it positive or negative. Top reviewers are often asked to review new battery packs and one of the benefits of being asked to test different power banks is that it gives me an opportunity to compare them to each other using the same charging test, so I can compare them using "apples to apples" comparison. This set of tests allows me to provide unbiased results as the numbers speak for the performance of each unit.



My methodology is to charge each mobile device on each port of the unit for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. In addition I tested charging two mobile devices at the same time. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test.



I use 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.



➨ General features:

======================



Bolse M3 external battery weighs 5.7 oz. Its size is 2.375" x 4" x 0.75".



The pack has two USB output ports. The package include 3 tips, among them mini USB and iPad. The package also contains a micro USB cable. Galaxy tab connector and lightening cable for iPad Mini were not included and I used my own charging cables for the test below. Some external batteries include a small flashlight, this external battery does not.



➨ Test Results:

======================



✔ Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet (using my own Galaxy tab connector cable)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Smart: AC ~~~~~~ 3% change in charge in 10 minutes

iPad: AC ~~~~~~~ 2% change in charge in 10 minutes



✔ iPad Mini tablet (using my own lightening connector cable)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Smart: AC ~~~~~~ 6% change in charge in 10 minutes

iPad: AC ~~~~~~~ 6% change in charge in 10 minutes



✔ iPad Mini and Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet at the same time

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Smart: AC ~~~~~~ 2% change in charge in 10 minutes (Galaxy Tablet)

iPad: AC ~~~~~~~ 5% change in charge in 10 minutes (iPad Mini)



➨ Key finding:

======================

✔ This external battery has exceptionally good behavior with iPad Mini, and average performance with Galaxy Tablet. Overall it earned a 5 star rating.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link



AshopZones review ★★★★☆

Yubi Power YP250ABLU 2500mAh Ultra Compact Lipstick Size Portable Power Bank

I tested Yubi Power YP250ABLU 2500mAh Ultra Compact power bank with Nexus 7 Tablet (JellyBean 4.2.2), Samsung Galaxy 7.7 Tablet (ICS 4.0.4), and Samsung Galaxy Nexus cell phone (JellyBean 4.2.2), iPad Mini and Sansa Clip+ MP3.



I own several wall chargers and power bricks and run the same set on tests on each of them, so I can be compare them to each other using "apples to apples" comparison. This set of tests allows me to provide unbiased results as the numbers speak for the performance of each unit.



These comparison tests reveal that this charger provides pretty good speed of charging and capacity (even though it is not the fastest or has the most capacity), however it is unbeaten in its compact size.



The size of the power bank is 3.75" x 0.75" x 0.75". It weighs 2.9 oz on my digital scale. It is quite compact, however I need to point that the lipstick comparison is slightly exaggerated. I am attaching a photo collage of 6 photos, and Photo #5 show this power bank next to a couple of lipsticks for relative size comparison. The photos can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo in this listing.



My methodology for testing power banks is to charge each mobile device for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charged in that 10 minute period. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test.



I use 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. Photo #1 show what the Battery App shows during one of the tests.



✔ Nexus 7 Tablet

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

chargind cable -- AC ............. 3% change in charge in 10 minutes



✔ Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phone

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

charging cable -- AC ............. 5% change in charge in 10 minutes

data cable ------ USB............. 0% change in charge in 10 minutes



✔ Samsung Galaxy Tablet 7.7

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

charging cable -- AC ............. 3% change in charge in 10 minutes



***Note for Samsung Tablet users*** Yubi power provides Samsung Tablet connector tips free on request. If you already have interchageable connector cables (this unit does not come with interchangeable tip cables) these Samsung tablet tips give me much better speed of charging then using a cable that came with my Galaxy tablet.



✔ iPad Mini

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

iPad Mini cable -- AC ............. 3% change in charge in 10 minutes



In addition to 10 minute charge speed tests, I ran two other tests:



✔ iPad Mini

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

Starting with iPad Mini discharged and Yubi Power Bank full I was able to charge iPad Mini to 29% full at which point the power bank was out of power (about 3 hours)



✔ Sansa Clip+ MP3

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

When I charge Sansa MP3 with a standard AC charger, the MP3 player goes into charging mode, displaying the charging animated icon. When it is plugged into the Yubi Power Ultra Compact power bank the MP3 continued to play the content. This is a great benefit for MP3 player with built-in battery, this means I charge and listen at the same time. I do not have to wait for the battery to recharge. Photo #6 shows Sansa next to the power bank for relative size comparison.



I received this unit for evaluation, testing, and review from the manufacture. Running a set of standard test allows me to provide unbiased numeric evaluation and comparison of different units. Based on this comparison this unit measures up very well.



➨ Overall:

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

Great size power bank to have on the go. Very good performance for a unit of such a compact size. When I exercise this is the power bank I take with me.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★

Santamedical Kneading Massager Cushion

Whenever I go by Brookstone or Sharper Image store in the mall I stop by to sit in their massage chairs. This little cushion gives you an inexpensive simulation of an expensive chair. The massaging heads work quite well, you just need to move the cushion where you want it to be by hand. It actually works better than I expected from looking at the photo.



The cushion is 12" by 7" and is 3.5" thick (at the massage heads). It comes with two cords one for AC outlet and one for the car port.  The back of the cushion has 11.5" strap.  It goes over the head restraint in the car, but does not fit the back of my chair (too narrow).  So when I use it at home I hold it in place by pressing my back against it.  That works fine.  How hard you press against it depends how much pressure you want from the massager. If you press too hard you slow it down and properly put undue pressure on the motor.  The AC cord is 78", which is a little too short for me to reach the power strip near my computer desk (an extra extension cord solves the problem, of course).  The power brick is fairly large (3.25") and takes up two slots on the power strip.



I am attaching a video shows everything included in the package, a page from instructions which shows how to position the cushion, followed by the video of the massaging heads.



I received this massage cushion for testing and review (be it positive or negative) from the manufacturer. I hope the video will help you set your expectations.  Overall, this massage cushion works better than I expected, and it feels good after a long day in front of the computer.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★