I’ve read about a number of mysaver (sorry, the website is all Flash) which aimed to make the iPhone/iPad cables more robust. I didn’t know I needed the product until I looked at one of my cables started to split at the end where the cable entered the connector. While most projects take awhile after funding to make it to production and shipment, I was amazed at how quickly they got the product out the door.

My 3 DIY kits arrived yesterday, and after watching the instructional video, I put them together. They were easy to assemble and I think that they’re going to work well as they make it easier to pull out the cable, but not strain the cord. The only problem I had is that the glue dots that were included were rubbery, so the aluminum cover started moving around and while the video said to use some silicone to secure it, I know that silicone is flexible and wouldn’t do exactly what I wanted. I put a few drops of superglue on the connector and presto, I now have very solid connection.

Pros

• Solves a real need.
• Easy to “install”.
• Looks neat.

Cons

• A little expensive.
• Required a modification to make it work.
• If installed on 2 USB cables, they both can’t be plugged into a MacBook Pro as one blocks the second USB port.

Summary

I love the concept of extending the life of my iPhone/iPad cables as I use them all the time for my collection of devices (I always have 2 iPhones, 1 iPad, and 1 iPod Touch on my desk) that I use for development. While I just got this, I believe that this is going to be the solution to worn cables. Time, of course, will tell if this lives up to my expectations.

If you have worn iPod/iPhone cables and a few extra dollars, this is a unique solution that I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it again.

One of the features of my Ooma system is the ability to add a Bluetooth Adaptor
so that I can use a Bluetooth headset with it. I bought the Bluetooth adapter and started trying out headsets. Unfortunately my Ooma box is in one room and my office is in the next. Despite getting a 10 ft. USB cable, I couldn’t get the Bluetooth adapter close enough to have a clear connection.

Not being deterred by this setback, I started poking around Amazon and found a Viewcon USB Active Extension. This is a USB to Cat5 adapter that can transmit a signal up to 150′. I was a bit skeptical at first as I knew that adding latency to the connection could degrade the signal. However, for $19 it was worth the risk. I chose this connector (there are a number of them) as it came with a power adapter which could come in handy to boost the signal.

Setup of this was quite simple. Since I already had Cat5 running from our TV room (where the Ooma is and is the center of my network) to my office, I just plugged the adapter into the Ooma, ran Cat5 to the wall and then Cat5 from the wall to the Bluetooth adapter. I did a few tests and was absolutely amazed that it worked without problems. Luckily the Bluetooth adapter was USB 1.1, so high speed transmission wasn’t a problem.

If you need to run a USB device from a different room or a long distance, this adapter is a dream.

Pros

• Easy to setup.
• Inexpensive.

Cons

• None.

Summary

This device easily solved my problem at a reasonable price. There are lots of options out there and I just got lucky that on my first try, I got one that worked. The reviews for this and similar devices were very mixed, probably because people had much higher expectations; my needs were quite simple and this adapter met them.

When I work, I put my iPhone on my desk next to my computer. Sometimes I pick it up or use it to make a phone call and thought that having a stand for it would be it more convenient. There are lots of stands out there and I didn’t get around to buying in until I saw a Kickstarter project called The Oona. I thought it looked neat and pledged some money towards it. The cost was a little expensive, but I was willing to give it a try.

All the updates sounded promising as the makers were testing different suction cups and designs.

After many delays and lack of communication, my product finally arrived. I set it on my desk, put my phone on it (my phone has no case or screen protector, so the suction cup was attached to the bare phone) and within a few minutes, my phone slid off the suction cup. I kept trying to get it to work and finally gave up. I wasn’t even going to attempt to use it in a place where my phone was more than a few inches off a surface as I don’t trust it.

The product had promise, but is a complete failure. I saw a deal come across for a plastic stand called The Jack and bought it. It was far cheaper than The Oona and actually works.

Pros
None

Cons

• Expensive
• Doesn’t work

Summary
Don’t buy it. This product is a complete waste and isn’t useful at all. The designers need to go back to the drawing board and work on the suction cups.

I’m not much of a tool person, but have my collection of tools and occasionally pick up something that looks like it could be useful. After one of my last projects doing electrical work, I picked up a Klein Non-Contact Voltage Tester from Home Depot. The concept is pretty simple, turn it on, wave it near a wire, electrical outlet, light switch, etc. and it will beep if there is electricity flowing. I’ve used it a few times mainly just to see how cool it is.

This past weekend, I discovered that the motion sensor in an outside light wasn’t working, so I needed to fix it. The problem was that since it wasn’t working, I didn’t know which circuit breaker to turn off and just relying on the light switch was potentially dangerous. While the switch was in a box with 2 other switches, I could hope that they were all on the same circuit, but given my luck, someone probably went against code and wired it such that 2 circuit breakers controlled the box.

I remembered that I had the Klein tool and pulled it out. With the breaker on, waving the tool over the switch showed electricity flowing. While I went outside to the breaker box, my wife, used the tool and let me know when I hit the right breaker. I was pretty confident that I wasn’t going to get shocked, so I took the light off the wall, used the tool again and verified that I wasn’t going to get zapped.

This tool is absolutely a tool that should be in every handyman’s (or handywoman’s) toolbox. It’s relatively inexpensive and saves you the trouble of getting knocked on your rear when you touch the live wires.

Pros

• Relatively inexpensive.
• Uses standard batteries.
• Easy to use.

Cons

• After changing the batteries the button gets stuck a lot requiring some wiggling to get it to work.

Summary

I definitely recommend this product. I’m sure I can resolve the hiccup with the switch by rubbing a little bar soap on the places that the button rubs. I wish I had gotten this years ago as I’ve gotten zapped at least twice because I wasn’t careful enough; I do test every outlet, but made assumptions because outlets in the same room were out, but not the ones that zapped me. This tool would have immediately told me to stop; it’s easier to use than a standard 3 prong tester or a regular test meter.

For my birthday, my wife bought me a very nice pair of Senneiser noise canceling earbuds. They actually were the top of the line. A few months later, Newegg sent my wife email and left a message saying that the earbuds were recalled. They sent a postage paid return label, apologized, and gave us a $20 credit. I sent them back and started searching for a replacement. Looking for any active noise canceling earbuds was quite hard as there are very few; the price range was pretty huge, so I could get basically whatever I wanted. I searched and searched and ended up settling on the Audio-Technica ANC23. When I bought them, they were $75 and while that seems a bit steep, they were far less expensive than the Senneiser ones.

Normally when I work, I forget to turn on music and only sometimes wear headphones (it depends on if my son is running around making a lot of noise). So, I use the earbuds when I travel. I don’t travel all that often, but this year, I’ve traveled 7 times (most of them after I bought the ear buds). Once I put the earbuds in my ears during a flight and turn them on, the airplane noise immediately is drowned out and the flight becomes a lot more comfortable. I’ve found that with the Comply tips that come with it, the earbuds are quite comfortable.

I always keep the earbuds in my bag and am not sure I would want to fly without them.

Pros

• Comfortable.
• Inexpensive (they’re now down to less than $40.
• Good noise cancellation.
• Good pasive noise isolation.
• Compact.

Cons

• No microphone or volume buttons like the iPhone (it has a manual volume control).

Summary

My only real complaint for these earbuds is that I bought them for $75 less than 6 months ago and they’re now down to $39 on Amazon. I found that these were almost as good as the $250 Senneiser earbuds my wife gave me. If you can wear earbuds (earbuds don’t fit in some people’s ears), these are a no brainer for anyone that occasionally travels or wants some quiet when working.