Product review: Alaska Bear® Portable Bluetooth Micro Mini Speaker and MP3 player

Alaska Bear mini speaker is a compact speaker with a big sound. It can operate as a bluetooth speaker, wired speaker, and as an MP3 player. MP3 player uses a TF memory slot. TF memory slot is used for reading regular micro SD memory cards.

In the attached video I show MP3 operation from a micro SD memory card as well as streaming music via bluetooth from my iPad Mini.

♦ I tested bluetooth with my iPadMini tablet and it worked very well. The sound is crisp and clear. Even bass sounded good for a speaker of this small size.

♦ The speaker can be made quite loud. The volume control and next/previous are control by the same buttons. If you hold the button it control volume, if you press and release it will perform next/previous operation.

♦ It works well as an MP3 player that I can listen to without earphones.

♦ To help me evaluate and compare different speakers I always use the same pieces of music to test the speakers. This way I can compare the speakers using this "apples-to-apples" comparison. As a stress test for the bass I use Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor. Alaska Bear speaker handled the most challenging part of the Bach's Fugue well. A lot of small speakers crackle in two spots of the Fugue, but this speaker handled it well.

♦ The speaker weights 5.8 oz. It is 2" tall and 2.25" in diameter. It feels heavy and well constructed.

♦ The speaker runs on a lithium battery. It tooks me 2 hours to fully charge it. It is charged by a standard USB/micro USB cable.

♦ Bluetooth Version is 3.0, with a range of 10 meters (32 feet)

♦ In addition to the speaker the package includes a dual cable which is both a charging cable and an AUX cable.

Overall, I thought it produced really nice sound plus I its versatility of being both an MP3 player and a bluetooth speaker.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Shacke Silicone Baking Mat 16 1/2 X 11 5/8 Inches

This silicone baking mat is 16.5" by 11.75". It is a perfect match to my baking sheet which is 16.5" x 11". The 3/4 inch overlap in width allows me to run the mat up the side (as shown in video). A batch of oatmeal cookies I have made using this mat browned perfectly and evenly. The clean up was very easy, I just needed to run a sponge over the mat to remove the crumbs. And I did not need to use any oil to grease the baking sheet.

The mat itself is very flexible, so it cannot be used without a cookie sheet. It is a liner, a replacement for the parchment paper. It should not be use as a cutting surface as it is soft and can be damaged by the knife.

The mat had no odor out of the package, as well as after baking. It is heat resistant to 480 degrees Fahrenheit. The instructions say to wash it with soap and water after every use and to air dry. The instruction say not to wash the mat in the dishwasher.

Normally my oatmeal cookies take 13 minutes at 375 degrees, with the silicone mat it took 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

In addition to use it as a liner for baking, I use it on my counter top instead of a trivet. When I need to rest a hot pan on something it gives me a nice big target area.

I have found this mat easy to work with, it gave nice even bake results, and I plan to use it on regular basis. I recommend it to others.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Tronsmart T1000 Mirror2TV Wireless Display HDMI Dongle Support Miracast DLNA EZCAST

Tronsmart allows you to display everything displayed on your mobile device screen on a TV. It can be useful to show photos saved on your phone, play games on a large screen, watch Netflix or Hulu Plus, play music, youTube, or do presentation by displaying slides stored on your device without needing to bring a laptop. It is similar to Chromecast but does more as it is not limited to the specific set of apps that Chromecast supports.

Tronsmart T1000 supports several modes EZCast, DLNA, and EZMirror/Miracast. I tested each mode with Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet and Samsung Nexus phone.

I had no problems setting up EZCast mode. The documentation is missing some steps so I took detailed notes on what I did:

➺ 1. I downloaded and installed a free app called EZcast from GooglePlay (Attached video includes an image of how the icon looks so you can tell it apart from other similar named applications)

➺ 2. I connected the Tronsmart dongle to the TV (it can plug in either directly into HDMI port or with HDMI extension cable)

➺ 3. I connected WIFI cable (included in the package) to the dongle

➺ 4. I connected WIFI cable to the power supply (the WIFI cable is short, so I connected it to an external battery pack)

➺ 5. On my mobile device I connected to WIFI Tronsmart-xxxxxxxx. The password I needed was displayed on the screen of my TV

➺ 6. Once WIFI was connected my mobile device became the remote control for the TV.

➺ 7. The first thing I did was to change the password that the dongle came with. The password length is limited to 8 characters, when I specified more than 8 character the tail end of my password was chopped off. Note that the password is displayed on your TV screen in the clear. So don't use a password you want to keep secret. After I changed the password, I was not able to move my cursor - looks like the long password has crashed the software. I disconnected the power to reboot the device and when it came back up the new password was set correctly (using the first 8 characters of the password I specified).

➺ 8. Once I finished set up I hit "Back" button on my device (the arrow at the bottom of my screen). This brought me back to the main menu. This page contains colorful icons for Photo, Camera, Music, Video, Documents, Web, Cloud Video, Comment, Update. In addition to EZCast you also have DLNA and EZMirror (this is Miracast) modes.

➺ 9. EZCast allows you to work with files local to your device, such as photos, documents, spreadsheet stored on your device. They can be mirror on your TV for easy viewing. Through the Web menu you can surf the web and have it displayed on your TV screen.

➺ 10. The apps are displayed only in a landscape mode. This is an issue for some of the games I like which run only in portrait mode.

➺ 11. DLNA mode finds all DLNA DMR (digital media reader) on your mobile device and allows you to display them on your large TV screen.

➺ 12. I could not get EZMirror/Miracast Mode to work because my devices do not support Miracast. When you select EZMirror your will be prompted to turn off you Wi-Fi. Then go the "Display" section of Setttings and if your device is compatible with Miracast you will see an option for "Wireless Display". Select option to turn it on, and that will start Miracast functionality.

I could not get Miracast to work on my Nexus 7.7 Tablet running 4.04 Android and Nexus phone running 4.4 Android. This is not a T1000 problem but rather a limitation of my devices which do not support Miracast. To see if your device supports Miracast check if you have the following option under settings:go to Settings > Device > Display > Cast screen > Menu > there will be an option to "Enable Wireless Display."

I received Tronsmart T1000 from the manufacturer for testing and review. If you like the idea of sharing your screen on a large TV this is an inexpensive and easy to use device to do it.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Comparison review: SP-4000 and SP-4001 Secu auto emergency escape tools

In this review I am comparing Secur emergency tools SP-4000 and SP-4001. When I was trying to select one of these tools the difference in size between the two tools was not obvious to me. In order for an emergency tool to be helpful in a true emergency (for example the car being submerged in water) the tool has to be easily reachable from the driver's seat. So I wanted a tool that can be stored on a console between the seats, but I could determine the actual size of each tool from the description.

I decided to get both tools and write a comparison review.

SP-4000 is is 5 inches long and 2 inches wide. It weighs 4.2 oz.
SP-4001 is is 9 inches long and 2.25 inches wide. It weighs 8.8 oz.

SP-4000 has a flashlight, flashing white emergency light, built-in dynamo charger, stainless steel pin for breaking glass, and a seatbelt cutter.
[Note: SP-4000 documentation mentions a red flashing light, but SP-4000 only has a white flashing light]

SP-4001 has a flashlight, flashing red emergency light, built-in dynamo charger, metal hammer for breaking glass, a seatbelt cutter. It also has two additional features SP-4000 does not offer a port for charging a mobile device and magnets to hold the flashing red light on top of the car. Note that the magnets are on the same areas as the flashlight so when the tools is held up by magnets the flashlight will not be usable. The red emergency light is on the other end of the tool and will be visible if the magnet hold it to the roof of the car, for example.

To charge the tool you need to crack the handle at a speed of 3 revolutions per second for about a minute. I thought both tools were reasonably easy to use.

The flashlight capability were similar and both seat belt cutters worked well (see video).

The SP=4001 hammer is a better tool for breaking the glass as it is bigger and heavier than the SP-4000 stainless steel pin.

I tested charging of the mobile devices with a current monitor and the charge it generated was very low. I only was able to generate 0.15-0.20 amps and only when I was cranking continuously. It would take quite a bit of work and time to charge a device this way.

My favorite feature was a flashing red light which can be put on top of the car with magnets. The likelyhood of that being useful is much higher than the rest of the tool, as it can be used if the car break downs or while changing a flat tire.

So what is the bottom line? Which one of the two tools I like better? For my console storage 9 inches is too long, so SP-4000 is the choice for the next to the driver storage. However, I really liked the flashing light that could be held with a magnet on the roof. So SP-4001 travels with me in the trunk.

I received Secur emergency tools from Secur for evaluation and review. Even though turns out I was not able to select one tool is a clear winner I hope it makes it easier for you to decide which one would work best for you.

You can find the large tool on Amazon by following this link


You can find the small tool on Amazon by following this link



Ali Julia review ★★★★★ and ★★★★☆

Product review: Lemon Squeezer Lime Citrus Press Juicer

I was provided this lemon squeezer by AD Kitchenware for testing and review. I was video taping my first use of the squeezer for this review when it cracked as captured on this video. It did not totally break, but you can hear the cracking noise and after the cracking noise I can see the whitish plastic fatigue at the hinge point. This lemon squeezer is made out of plastic. The plastic handle was not able handle the force needed to squeeze a lemon. After the cracking noise I continued to use the lemon squeezer until it produced no more juice. Then I was able to get a lot more juice by squeezing the lemon by hand.

Based on my experience I would not recommend it.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★☆☆☆☆

Product review: Atomic Water Resistant LCD CLock with 1.5" time Number and 5" Face

I purchased this shower clock rather than a similar clock offered by the same company because of its size. This wall clock is 6.5" across, and hours/minutes display is 1.5" high and 2.5" wide. I can see the clock very well. It also show temperature, day of the week, and date. It has built-in atomic clock function but in my bathroom I don't get good reception for the signal.

The clock runs on one AA battery. Battery is not included in the package.

The clock has three mounting options:
➊. 4 large suction cups
➋. a loop for hunging on a hook
➌. a stand which is stored inside the back cover of the wall clock (see video)

The instructions that come with the clock are fairy poor. The documentation did not mention that the stand is stored inside the clock, at first I thought it was missing.

In addition. it was not clear from the documentation how to remove the back in order to insert the battery and set the time. The back has 8 small screws, and I started by removing them. Turns out that exposed the clock computer, not the battery compartment. The 9th small screw on the back, is a cover for the antenna and also does not need to be removed. To expose the battery and the control panel you need to twist the back. It is very tightly on and that's why when I initially tried twisting it it did not budge.

In order to remove the cover you need to twist the hook loop counter-clock-wise until it lines up with a small white arrow on the back, then pull up. To put the back cover back on reverse the procedure, line up the hook loop with the arrow and twist clock-wise.

I don't get good RCC signal for automatic time setting in the bathroom, so I set the time manually. Here are instructions for setting the time manually:

➊. Turn off RCC signal reception by pushing "signal" button in the back. You can tell the signal is off because the antenna icon will not be visible on the clock face. If RCC signal reception is on, the icon is always blinking.

➋. Set the time zone by clicking the up arrow on the back, it will toggle through all time zones. Once you select the one you want click set button.

➌. Click set button to set the time, the year, and the date. Note that the date is displayed in European format with the day first and months second. For example, December 29 is displayed as 29/12. I did not find a setting that would allow me to change the format of the date.

I have been using this clock in my bathroom for three weeks now. The clock is attached by suction cups and has been stuck rock solid. I am testing it every day to see if needs readjustment but it has not been a problem so far. It has not fogged up during hot showers (I hung it just above the shower head). I like the large display. This clock is exactly what I was hoping for.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Noosy Qi Wireless Charger for Cell Phones and Tablets

I am very impressed with this wireless charger. It is Qi standard charger and I am using it to charge Nexus 5 phone. A wireless charger has some inefficiency compared to the wired charger, so I expected that it will charge the phone significantly slower. However, I was pleasantry surprised!

To test the charger I charged the phone directly when plugged into the wall charger that came with this wireless charger (it is used to power the wireless) as well as laying the phone on top of the wireless pad. I ran two sets of tests, first I measured the current with a current monitor. Second I ran a 10 minute charging test. I use these two tests on all chargers I own because it lets me to make unbiased comparison purely based on the performance numbers. Since the charging speed is non-linear I start charging each device from approximately the same charge level.

The wireless charging was only slightly slowler than wired. The stated inefficiency of wireless charging is documented as 74% of wired charging. So this means it is getting 0.92A out of 1.26A shown on the current monitor.

✔ Nexus 5 Phone (wireless)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AC ----- 6% change in charge in 10 minutes
current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.26A and 5.08V

✔ Nexus 5 Phone (pluged in directly into Noosy wall charger)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AC ----- 7% change in charge in 10 minutes
current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.94A and 5.03V

This wireless charger is 4" across and 0.375" thick. It comes with a 56" AC cord.

Input requirement: 5V/2A
Output: 5V/1A
Charging effeciency: 74%
Transmission distance: 0.31" or less
Operating temperature range: 32°F to 45°F56"

As much as I am impressed with this wireless charger there one thing I would have liked to be different:
I would have liked the surface to be rubberised so it has more traction with the back of the phone. It is easy to accidentally move the phone off the pad by sliding a book on the night table or by a careless cat stepping on the pad or the phone. Ideally, I would like the shape of the wireless pad to be a little tray with raised borders so the phone stays within the tray safely.

I am impressed with the wireless' pad speed of charging and would recommend it.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★