Altego Coated Canvas Cyan Laptop Messenger Review

When Altego released their line of Coated Canvas Cyan laptop bags, the company had three goals in mind: simplicity, protection, and style. Today, we will find out if their laptop messenger bag for 15" laptops accomplishes those goals.

Let's take a tour around the bag, shall we?

The outside of this bag is crafted from water resistant canvas. The shoulder strap is made of seatbelt material. Overall, this bag feels quite sturdy, but not heavy, either.

The front flap has a locking mechanism that I have never seen before- a self-locking twist buckle. This works fairly well, but occasionally part of the mechanism goes into locked position before I buckle down the flap.

The iPad pocket is in the middle

The inside compartment contains three mesh pockets for stowing laptop charging cords, a cell phone, etc. Opposite these pockets is the iPad pocket. This is quite well padded, and is lined with soft material. Two smaller pockets flank the iPad pocket.

Behind these pockets is a large zippered pocket, also quite well padded.

The laptop section in back has a distinctive look and excellent protection. The waffle padding on the outside is very, very tough. You should not have qualms about the safety of your laptop in this bag! :)

 As you can tell, this bag's blue accents give it a slightly sporty edge. I would say it looks professional enough to take to work, but casual enough to look modern to take on errands, to school, to the library, etc.

Overall, Altego has created an uncomplicated, durable laptop bag that looks appropriate for work or play.

Product Info

MSRP:	$70 from Altegro
Manufacturer:	Altego
Pros:	Compartments very well padded, lots of storage, understated style
Cons:	Locking mechanism occasionally switches to locked before I am ready

AfterShokz Mobile Headphones Review

When I biked or walked on the busy roads near our house, I never felt comfortable listening to music via headphones or earbuds. I was not about to take any chances with my safety, because these traditional methods made it difficult to hear oncoming traffic. However, Aftershokz's bone conduction headphones claim to be much safer for exercising. They don't cover my ears or disrupt my natural hearing. How well do they work? Read on to find out!

In the Box
A bag for storage, a USB charger, and cord extender, and the headphones (of course) are included.

Comfort and Fit
Because these earphones use bone conduction technology, the Aftershokz are designed to sit on your cheek bones. The headband is quite flexible, so it does adjust to the size of your head. Wearing them this way is quite comfortable. They are so light that I often forget I am wearing them. They also seem to stay on very well.

Design
The AfterShokz are powered by a battery, and must be re-charged via USB port. According to the company, the battery lasts about 15 hours- I haven't tested this claim, though.

Having an in-line mic is handy, (or in the case of the Sport headphones- volume and stop buttons) but the in-line mic thingy (above) is bulky and comparatively heavy. It does have a clip, but I still wish it were lighter and smaller so it would not flop around so much.

Sound
Reasonable and decent are two adjectives that come to mind when describing the AfterShokz's audio quality. The AfterShokz headphones tend to have light base. It is also worth noting that the volume increases and the audio quality sharpens the closer they are worn to your ears. The sound will not be satisfactory for audiophiles, but it will be satisfactory for active people. Most joggers probably won't be splitting hairs over sound quality while jogging. :)

As advertised, the AfterShokz let me hear my surroundings with remarkable clarity. Unless the volume was turned to max, I could hear birds, traffic, and people around me perfectly.

Conclusion
Other bone conduction headphones similar to the Aftershokz are available. From what I can gather, however, they cost more and do not provide more features or better sound quality. If you exercise outdoors and are concerned about the safety of listening to music, Aftershokz bone conduction headphones are the way to go.

Product Info

MSRP:	$69.95 from AfterShokz
Manufacturer:	VoxLinc
Pros:	Much safer than headphones or earbuds, decent sound quality, comfortable
Cons:	Base underwhelming, in line mic control too cumbersome

TechnoGadget's Mother's Day Gift Guide

Do you need ideas for this year's Mother's Day gift? Read on to find gift suggestions that your mom will be thrilled to receive.

For the moms with a green thumb (or who want a green thumb...), the Black and Decker Plantsmart digital plant care sensor will be a great help. It measures temperature, sunlight, and moisture for indoor and outdoor plants and even recommends plants for your specific growing conditions. The Plantsmart is available from Black and Decker for $50.

For moms on the go, the Acme Made Clutch (for thirteen inch laptops) is a great present. It's a very stylish, minimalist bag that looks great in any venue. I reviewed it here, and it is still my all-around favorite laptop bag. The Clutch is $100 from Acme Made.

For moms who love to cook, the Cook'n recipe software will streamline their recipe management. Besides  organizing recipes, this software has the ability to capture recipes from the internet, create meal planners, adjust serving sizes, and calculate nutrition facts. This software (for Mac or PC) is available from DVO for $80.

For moms with a flair for fashion, Modify Watches are the perfect accessory. The interchangeable watch faces and bands are sure to complement any outfit. I reviewed the Modify watch here, and I use my timepiece on a daily basis. Available from Modify watches, wrist straps are $15, faces are $25.

The Jo Totes Rose- One Stylish Camera Bag

This Jo Totes Rose camera bag is certainly beautiful! While many camera bags are black, strictly utilitarian affairs that are as stylish as a backpack, the Rose comes in eight colors and doesn't draw attention to the photography equipment you are carrying. The Rose has room for a camera, an additional lens, and a few miscellaneous items. It costs $89 from Jo Totes.

oStylus Dot Review

Although our own digits work perfectly well for navigating our smartphones and tablets, handwriting and drawing require a little extra hardware to achieve a neat result. Today, we will look at the handwriting-oriented oStylus Dot.  Read on to find out how well it works!

First, let's take a look at the Dot's unique design. Unlike standard styli that use rubber tips, this oStylus uses a hinged stainless steel dot (for lack of a better word). (Honestly, it reminds me more of some sort of surgical tool than a stylus.) When in use, the dot is flat to the screen, but the handle adjusts to the angle it is being held at.

Two extra vinyl stickers are included with the Dot.

There is no need to worry about scratching your tablet's screen, however. A vinyl sticker covers almost all of the Dot's contact surface.

In hand, the Dot has a pleasant weight and feels very well made. The grip is made of aluminum, and it is thinner than a pencil.

How well does it work? I found that it works well for handwriting. It operates smoothly and accurately. Drawing is much less practical on the Dot because you cannot see where you are drawing. Although I have not tested out the original oStylus, that stylus seems much better suited to drawing because of the open center.

All in all, the Dot is a unique and practical stylus for those mainly interested in handwriting.

Product Info

MSRP:	$37.50 from oStylus
Manufacturer:	oStylus
Pros:	Comfortable to use, very good for handwriting, well made
Cons:	Less practical for drawing

Samsung Galaxy Note for AT&T Review

The Galaxy Note is not your typical smartphone. Dubbed the "phablet", the 5.8 inches tall Note has been marketed as a combination tablet, phone, and notepad all in one package. In addition, Samsung has included a stylus- the S Pen. Does the Galaxy Note have the best of three worlds? Read on to find out!

Design and Hardware

First, let's take a look around the Note. On the top, there is a headphone jack; on the left, a volume rocker; on the bottom, a microUSB port and a handy niche to store the S Pen; on the right a power button; and a two megapixel front-facing camera in the right corner.

Hit the power button and you are greeted with a HD Super AMOLED display. (Super AMOLED is the industry standard for beautiful smartphone and tablet displays.) The Note also sports a resolution of 1280 X 800 pixels- which, interestingly enough, is the same resolution as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7. In short: the display is gorgeous. The blacks are very deep, the whites are very bright, and the colors are rich.

The Galaxy Note feels solid and well made in hand.
 

Practicality of The Note's Size

First, I have adjusted to the size of the Note after using it for the past two weeks. Compared side-by-side to a regularly sized phone, it seems huge. After I spent time with it, though, it didn't seem awkward at all.

So, to what does the Note's size lend itself? I found it to be an excellent size for watching videos, playing games, web browsing, and taking notes. All these tasks were easier/more enjoyable on the Note than on a regular four-inch phone because of the large screen size. On the other hand, I feel a tablet would be more practical than the Note for careful drawing and reading e-books.

What about portability? To be blunt: you will find a way to carry it somehow. :) My transportation of choice was my jacket pocket.

Finally, will you be happy with the size of the Note? That's something you have to decide for yourself. Personally, I like the size, but hey- I'm not you. I would highly recommend going to a store to get your hands on the Note. This huge phone isn't necessarily one-size-fits-all.

Camera
The eight megapixel camera takes all-around great shots. The pictures were crisp, well-exposed, and naturally colored. In low light, the camera takes decent pictures. (For more pictures taken with the Galaxy Note, check out this link.)

Software and Performance
The Note is one speedy phone. It boasts a 1.5 Ghz dual-core processor, so it is no surprise that it handled every web page, game, or app with ease.

The Galaxy Note is currently running Android 2.3, or Gingerbread. However, it seems that the Ice Cream Sandwhich OS will be coming quite soon. It's already been leaked. When the Ice Cream Sandwhich update arrives, it will also come with more S Pen-optimized apps. Speaking of which...

S Pen and S Memo App

Besides being pressure sensitive, the S Pen features a button on the side. When the user holds this button down and double-taps on the screen, the S Memo app launches. (More on the S Memo app in a minute!) The S Pen also utilizes other handy gestures for taking screenshots, etc.

Doodling with the S Pen is moderately accurate. I found that, when held at an angle, the S Pen doesn't always draw in the exact location where I anticipated it would would draw.

The S Pen works quite well for taking notes. When you don't want to type, it is compatible with a handy writing-to-text input feature. Text can get garbled if you have messy handwriting, though. It works best if you write in cursive or in very neat printing.

The S Pen App allows the user to jot notes via handwriting or on-screen keyboard, insert pictures and voice recordings into memos, and share them via social media.

Personally, I have not found the S Pen to be a "to die for" accessory. Granted, the S Pen makes drawing and note taking very easy and accurate. However, I probably will not miss this feature a lot.

Call Quality
The call quality on the Note is better than average. For both parties, calls on the Note were loud and clear.

Battery Life
The Note lasted at least a full day during moderate use (taking pictures, a phone call or two, checking e-mail, checking the Twitter app, playing a short game of Fruit Ninja or two, and a web browsing). Considering how much juice the screen and internals must take, I was surprised to find that it had the battery life of a long-lasting, regularly-sized phone.

Conclusion
The Galaxy Note's size isn't for everybody. Those who appreciate the huge form-factor will be hard pressed to find fault with the Note. It has speedy internals, a beautiful screen, an accurate camera, and an excellent battery life.

Product Info

Price:	$300 from AT&T with 2 yr. contract
Manufacturer:	Samsung
Pros:	Fast, gorgeous screen, huge form-factor, accurate camera, very good battery life
Cons:	Giant size isn't for everyone

Instagram Introduces New Photo App for Android

Today, Instagram released its photo sharing and photo filters app for Android. This incredibly popular application was previously available for iOS users only. I tried it out today. The app makes applying filters and uploading to social media sites (like Facebook, Twitter, etc) extremely easy- just like the Apple store version.

The Instagram Android app works with Android versions 2.2 and up, and is available for free.