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DR500GW-HD Review

Before I get right into my review of the BlackVue DR500GW-HD Vehicle Video Recorder I think it is important to add a bit of backstory about my search for the best car dvr/camera.  I have been trying to find the “perfect” vehicle video recorder for quite some time and have tested a myriad of products.  Most of the vehicle cameras with built-in DVR are manufactured in China.  This alone shouldn’t be a bad thing, but for some reason it is.  Of the 10+ car cameras I have tested, all of them were made in China.  All of these Chinese units had some combination of subpar manuals, cheap build quality, low video quality (don’t let the use of the term “HD” fool you), unacceptable night time viewing, etc…

So, when I found the BlackVue DR500GW-HD (made in South Korea) I was excited but skeptical.  While I believe that products made in South Korea are higher quality than Chinese products, I had seen so many bad vehicle video recorders and wondered if I would ever find a good unit.  Read on for my DR500GW-HD Review.

Summly Yahoo

Yahoo has started to roll out summaries produced by Summly in its mobile app for IOS.  We aren’t impressed.  Granted we are biased, we have strong ties to Stremor, the makers of TLDRStuff.com, which is an alternative to Summly.  8 guys in the desert should be no match for the great and powerful SRI International, the creators of SIRI and the real brains behind Summly’s tech.  We expected Stremor to get crushed.  We knew what we expected to see when a 20 year history of language processing and hundreds of millions of dollars of research went up against a few guys without degrees in English, Linguistics, or MBA’s.  We expected it to be brutal. In that, we were right, but in this case David beat Goliath.

We compiled a few screenshots of the summarized feeds from Yahoo and placed the same links through the TLDR Plugin. Here are the results side by side, so you can make your own assessment.

Airbudz earbud attachments

I love riding my bike around the lake listening to some motivational tunes from Mickey Avalon and 2ne1 on my Yamaha ear buds.  The problem is, all I can hear is Mickey Avalon and 2ne1, and even thought that’s pretty cool, it creates a certain lack of ambient awareness.  I mean, the entire world is blocked off and all I am hearing is Mickey Avalon.  I am not hearing people honking at me, hot chicks calling out for me, and some dude yelling “Yo buddy is that really Mickey Avalon?!”.  Who knows how much social content I am missing out on… To solve my lack of ambient awareness, while in the depths of the Avalonian groove, I discovered the alternative ear bud attachments called the Airbudz from SafeSound.  Read on for details about the Airbudz earbud attachments after the break. 

Coloud Boom Blocks

I think I finally found the ideal pair of headphones for my teenage son.  A wicked bright pair of eye popping high contrast orange/gray/white colored headphones called the Boom Blocks by Coloud.  Read on for my review of the Coloud Boom Blocks.

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DJI Innovations is no stranger to high end remote controlled helicopters and drones.  Their S800 (Spreading Wings) Hexacopter has been a favorite choice among serious hobbyists.  I happen to own the S800 with the Wookong-M autopilot system and while I love it… it is incredibly difficult for a new user to setup.  You practically need a PhD to figure out the ESL manual, assemble the beast, and then tune it for flight.  Things just got a bit simpler for new users who want to enter the multi-rotor GPS enabled space thanks to the Phantom.  Read on for the DJI Phantom Review…

Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch Review

Samsung Series 5 UltraTouch Review.  Start off with the Samsung Series 5 Ultrabook and add a touchscreen that has Corning Gorilla Glass.  This means that the screen should have no problem dealing with all of the finger pokes and more.  The only main reason for the touchscreen addition is to make the few users of Windows 8 feel like they are getting their monies worth.  Read on for more details…

ECBC K7 Series Messenger Bag Review

I’ve had my 13-inch notebook for a long while now and just never bothered to buy a sleeve or a notebook bag.  A couple of weeks ago friend had asked me to give the EC-BC K7 Poseidon Messenger Bag (black) a go.  So I did.

Read on for my review of the ECBC K7 Series Poseidon Messenger Bag.

Tesla Model S Review

Well, I’ve had my Tesla Model S (85kWh performance) for about four days now and wanted to post my experience to date.  First off, let me say that I love the car and see much promise in the brand and the technology.  Tesla, and Elon Musk, started from scratch with the Model S and have accomplished some amazing things in a relatively short period of time.  Considering the big brands (think Toyota, Ford, etc.) have built up so much knowledge about every aspect of the industry from creating a user interface to building customer relations to the creation of manufacturing, delivery, and sales infrastructures, they are getting outmaneuvered in a big way by Tesla and the Model S.  Kudos to Tesla for this!

Now on to the important bits… let me start off with some of the not-so-shiny aspects of the Tesla Model S experience and I will finish with the things I love (very much).  Keep in mind that I will be updating as I learn more and open issues are resolved.  Read on.

Ploom Pax Vaporizer

If you are the type of person that likes using a vaporizer for tobacco, herbs, etc… you have no doubt seen some big changes happening in this market.  This latest portable vaporizer, the Ploom Pax, takes a step in the right direction for portable vaporizers.  Read on for details of Pax Vaporizer.

H502 Flood Headlamp Review

Whether you are stocking your bug-out bag or just want a great all-around flashlight for home and trail use… you may want to check out the ZebraLight H502.  Read on for the full review of the Zebralight H502 Flood Headlamp.