Bill Loguidice's Blog, page 106

Review: Easy@Home Deluxe TENS Unit Muscle Massager and Stimulator

As an avid bodybuilding enthusiast, including both the fitness activity itself and the history, I’ve been seeing ads for electric muscle stimulators in the various magazines I’ve read for several decades now. These devices always promised to help bulk up, define, or otherwise enhance your muscles. Due to the high cost, and frankly the idea of electricity coursing through my muscles, I’ve avoided experimenting with just such a device. With the Easy@Home Deluxe TENS Unit Muscle Massager and Stimulator (aka, Electronic TENS Pulse Massager), that situation has now changed.

The box.

Naturally, the Easy@Home Deluxe TENS Unit Muscle Massager and Stimulator has uses beyond what I described above. In fact, it seems that most practical uses for such a device are as part of physical therapy or to help with muscle tension, a la a massage. There are specific indications for pain relief associated with sore muscles in the shoulder, waist, back, arms, and legs due to normal strain, like from exercise or other vigorous activities.

What you get.

In the package you get the main unit, four self-adhesive reusable electrodes (which you’ll eventually need to replace) and associated connectors, the required four AAA batteries, and a fairly comprehensive user manual. After placing four of the pads on the target area, you set the unit to the desired parameters and off you go. There are different targets (Back, Shoulder, Neck, Arm-Leg, Joint, and Hand-Foot), modes (times between pulses), 10 levels of intensity that are adjustable per side, and different times it can be set to.

All hooked up.

Some example placement options.

In use, I found it to be rather effective. I really did feel it contract my muscles. You’ll definitely want to take the manual’s advice though and start at intensity 1 or 2, because the contractions get really powerful the higher you go up.

I could really feel it working.

In my initial applications, I didn’t want to exceed power level 2.

The Easy@Home Deluxe TENS Unit Muscle Massager and Stimulator is a fascinating product at a good price. If you’re interested in any of the possible uses or potential benefits for electrical muscle stimulation, then this product is definitely worth checking out.

Thanks to Easy@Home for the review unit.

The post Review: Easy@Home Deluxe TENS Unit Muscle Massager and Stimulator appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Review: Amsam Microsoft Surface Pro 3 / Pro 4 Charger Adapter

While I love my Microsoft Surface Pro 3, some things, like the first party AC adapter, tend to be a bit on the expensive side. That’s why something like the Amsam Microsoft Surface Pro 3 / Pro 4 Charger Adapter is so compelling, because it allows you to inexpensively replace or duplicate the original AC adapter’s performance for the Surface Pro 3 and Surface Pro 4 (although not for the Surface Pro 4 with M3 processor).

The packaging.

The Amsam Microsoft Surface Pro 3 / Pro 4 Charger Adapter accepts 110 – 240V input and outputs the expected 12V, 2.58A. Fortunately, there’s also short circuit and overload protection built-in, so your precious Surface device should remain safe regardless of the power situation.

Now, for some negatives. While the cord that goes from the AC adapter to the wall outlet is of sufficient length, the cord from the AC adapter to the Surface Pro is a bit on the short side. Also, the magnet that holds the cord to the Surface Pro is a bit on the weak side, so it doesn’t stay in quite as securely as it probably should.

All hooked up.

While the Amsam Microsoft Surface Pro 3 / Pro 4 Car Charger Adapter clearly has some flaws, the low price still makes it worth considering as a secondary AC adapter.

Thanks to Amsam for the review unit.

The post Review: Amsam Microsoft Surface Pro 3 / Pro 4 Charger Adapter appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Review: Thermotalix 8 in 1 Digital Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer

If there’s one thing you that gets hammered home as a parent, it’s that it’s incredibly difficult to get your kids to do the things they need to do. Even a seemingly simple activity, like trying to take a temperature, can be an epic battle. That’s where something like the Thermotalix 8 in 1 Digital Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer comes in.

The box.

A look inside.

As the name implies, you can take ear and forehead temperatures without having to establish contact. Of course, the Thermotalix can also measure object (including liquids) and room temperatures, so it’s far more versatile than just for medical use.

In the holder (upside down–oops!).

Out of the stand.

In the box you’ll find the thermometer itself, along with the required CR2032 button cell battery, thermometer stand, and detailed user manual. In the user manual you’ll find definitions of the device’s display symbols, e.g., smiley face = forehead temperature mode, as well as descriptions of the six functions, e.g., F – 2, Body/Object temperature selection.

The thermometer proper.

As expected for a device like this, you can easily switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius, the latter of which is the default out of the box. During my testing, I found measuring speed incredibly fast and precision to be excellent. And yes, my wife and I were able to get an accurate forehead measurement from our youngest daughter, who’s 18-months-old. For that alone, this compact device is definitely recommended.

Upside down in the holder again.

Thanks to The Holy Land for the review unit.

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Review: Global-store Solar Flashlight

“Solar Flashlight” sounds like the setup for a bad joke. Why would you want a light-powered flashlight when a flashlight is for seeing in places where there is no light? Of course, Global-store did not release a joke product, as their Solar Flashlight has a built-in 500mAh rechargeable battery that can not only be charged with the power of the sun, but also with the power of USB thanks to the included cable.

The box.

What you get.

The flashlight itself has a well-designed, textured aluminum exterior and is a good size at about 6.7 inches, or 17 centimeters, long. A single button turns the one watt LED on or off. When on, the LED light generates about 38 lumens, which is fairly bright, and it’s well focused. On a full charge, either over USB or with about eight hours of good sunlight, you can get around four hours of continuous use (as always, LED for the win!).

It’s bright and well focused.

About the only negative with this product is the non-standard USB cable. Instead of charging with a mini- or micro-USB cable, it charges with a 3.5mm USB cable, with the same type of tip that you’d find on wired headphones. Of course, if you’re out camping or doing something similar, you probably won’t bother with the proprietary USB cable anyway and just use the sun. As always, it’s good to have options.

Another angle.

Thanks to Global-store for the discounted review unit.

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Review: SROCKER C10S Silent Wireless Mouse

If you’re looking for a quality wireless gaming-centric mouse with a striking appearance at an incredibly low price, then the SROCKER C10S Silent Wireless Mouse is worth checking out. Using a small 2.4GHz wireless USB dongle that’s stored in its battery compartment much like many of Logitech’s offerings, the C10S is able to achieve 10 meters, or about 30 feet, of range.

The box.

There are two color choices for the shell, black and white. I’m reviewing the latter. Both shells feature the same four-color LED skull logo lighting that fades between green, blue, red, and purple.

What you get.

The packaging is no frills. You get the mouse itself, with a battery compartment that takes two AAA batteries (not included) and stores the aforementioned USB dongle, and an instruction sheet. The dongle and mouse combination is of course compatible with most modern operating systems., including Windows, Macintosh, and Linux (I tested this on my Windows 10 desktop PC). You first plug in the dongle, then you turn on the mouse. Simple.

Top view.

As the full name suggests, the C10S features silent micro switches, which minimize noise and help you focus on the sound coming from your speakers. Naturally, normal computing activities also benefit from the quieter clicks.

Another angle.

There are three sensitivity levels for the C10S: 1000, 1600, and 2400 dots per inch (DPI). Responsiveness and accuracy were excellent across the board, featuring incredibly smooth movement on my Razer Destructor mouse surface. It’s a very light mouse, although the weight of the AAA batteries do help with the overall feel.

The underside, which holds the batteries and required USB dongle.

Although I wasn’t able to drain the batteries to get a good sense of battery life, the C10S does feature three different kinds of power saving modes: sleep, sleep without receiver, and deep sleep, which should make for high efficiency. The color changing, “breathing” LED colors that cycle through green, blue, red, and purple on the skull logo on the the mouse’s handrest, makes for a neat effect, and shouldn’t noticeably impact battery life either.

There is one negative to note though and that’s the first time I received this product, it stopped working immediately after I first inserted the batteries. The replacement mouse (this time in black), which was quick to arrive, has since worked fine. So, while you may have potential concerns about reliability, customer service is excellent, which should help mitigate any issues that may crop up.

A look at the black mouse. You can just make out the red glow in the cycle.

If you’d like a smaller, more traditionally styled mouse with a reduced feature-set, you can get the SROCKER v2c in black, white/green, or white/pink shells. Surprisingly, the v2c is almost half the price of the already inexpensive C10S. With that said, for my male adult hands, I do find the C10S much more comfortable and worth the slight price premium over its more compact and simpler sibling.

Thanks to SROCKER for the review units.

The post Review: SROCKER C10S Silent Wireless Mouse appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Review: SROCKER v2c Silent Compact Wireless Mouse

For less than $10, the SROCKER v2c won’t break the bank, yet still has features found in more expensive mice. Using a small 2.4GHz wireless USB dongle that’s stored in its battery compartment much like many of Logitech’s offerings, the SROCKER v2c is able to achieve 10 meters, or about 30 feet, of range.

The box.

There are three color choices for the shell: black, white/green, and white/pink. I’m reviewing the black shell version.

What you get.

The packaging is no frills. You get the mouse itself, with a battery compartment that takes one AAA battery (which is thoughtfully included and further adds to the incredible value; be sure to take the plastic off the battery first, though!) and stores the aforementioned USB dongle, and an instruction sheet. The dongle and mouse combination is of course compatible with most modern operating systems., including Windows, Macintosh, and Linux (I tested this on my Windows 10 desktop PC). You first plug in the dongle, then you turn on the mouse for as straightforward of a setup as you’d want.

The SROCKER v2c features a single power saving mode, which enters auto sleep when the mouse isn’t used for approximately 5 minutes. When you click one of the buttons, the mouse wakes up. There’s also one tracking resolution, 1600 dots per inch (DPI), which is more than accurate enough for almost all activities you’ll want to perform with this mouse.

The underside of the mouse.

As the full name suggests, the SROCKER v2c features silent micro switches, which minimize noise and help you focus on the sound coming from your speakers. Naturally, normal computing activities also benefit from the quieter clicks.

It takes one AAA battery and also has a compartment for the required USB dongle.

For my male adult hands, I do find that the SROCKER v2c is a bit on the small side. If you prefer a smaller mouse, or have smaller hands like my middle daughter who’s 9 and really loves this, then by all means get this model. Otherwise, you’re better off with something like the slightly more expensive and slightly more feature-rich SROCKER C10S Silent Wireless Mouse.

Thanks to SROCKER for the review unit.

The post Review: SROCKER v2c Silent Compact Wireless Mouse appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Press Release: Atari and AtGames Strengthen Strategic Partnership to Expand Physical and Digital Distribution

Companies broaden partnership with an expanded offering of classic Atari physical and digital products, including the Atari Flashback console and new Atari Vault PC title.

 

NEW YORK AND LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) MARCH 31, 2016

Atari®, one of the world’s most recognized publishers and producers of interactive entertainment, and AtGames® Holdings Ltd., today announced the broadening of a strategic relationship to bring physical and digital offerings of Atari classics to market. The two companies will work closely to create compelling products based on new and classic properties with broad appeal for today’s gamers.

“Expanding our relationship with AtGames will allow for a larger digital footprint as we bring classic Atari favorites from the 70s and 80s into the modern era and introduce new titles for the first time,” says Fred Chesnais, Chief Executive Officer, Atari.

As part of the extended relationship, the AtGames Direct2Drive® service is now offering Atari® Vault, an impressive collection of 100 classic Atari 2600 console and arcade games. In addition, Direct2Drive will host an expanding line-up of other great Atari properties.

“We are excited to be strengthening our relationship with Atari, and look forward to be bringing amazing new products to market,” says Dr. Ping-Kang Hsiung, CEO of AtGames Holdings Ltd.

About Atari

Atari Interactive, Inc. (http://www.atari.com) is an interactive entertainment production company. As an iconic brand that transcends generations and audiences, the company is globally recognized for its multi-platform, interactive entertainment and licensed products. Atari owns and/or manages a portfolio of more than 200 games and franchises, including world-renowned brands like Asteroids®, Centipede®, Missile Command®, Pong®, Test Drive®, and RollerCoaster Tycoon®.

Atari has offices in New York and Paris.

© 2016 Atari Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved. Atari word mark and logo are trademarks owned by Atari Interactive, Inc.

About AtGames

AtGames Holdings Ltd. (http://www.atgames.net) develops innovative interactive entertainment products for worldwide distribution. AtGames has offices in Los Angeles, Taipei, and ShenZhen.

About Direct2Drive

Direct2Drive (D2D http://www.direct2drive.com), a property of AtGames, is a leading digital game distribution service. D2D features a catalog of thousands of games available for purchase for PC and Macintosh computers.

NOTE: The company names and product names are the registered trademark of each respective company.

 

Contacts

JODIE LEE
AtGames Holdings Ltd.

+1 (310) 286-2222

Email >
MICHELLE ISACSON BAROKAS
Barokas PR for Atari

(206) 264-8220

Email >

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Giveaway: UtechSmart Venus MMO Gaming Mouse

We’re pleased to be running a giveaway for gamers with a US or Canadian mailing address for the UtechSmart Venus MMO Gaming Mouse, which I reviewed here (Amazon link here). The giveaway runs from Tuesday, March 29, 2016, at 09:00 AM EDT until Tuesday, April 5, 2016, at 9:00 AM EDT.

All you have to do to enter is use one of the contact forms on the Armchair Arcade Website and include in the subject line, “UtechSmart Venus MMO Gaming Mouse Giveaway“. Make sure you provide a valid email address in the body of the message. A winner will be randomly selected shortly after the deadline and UtechSmart will then coordinate the mailing of the mouse.

Good luck!

The post Giveaway: UtechSmart Venus MMO Gaming Mouse appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Review: Laluce Stage Light

The Laluce Stage Light is an interesting creation. It features nine LEDs: red, green, blue, yellow, rose, purple, orange, and amber, and a variety of ways to control its lighting effects. For serious applications it can interface with a DMX controller, but it even works great in casual use. You can simply plug it in and it starts its light show.

The box.

The AC plug arrived with some damage.

In the box you get the effects light itself, a very short three prong AC cable, an infrared remote control, and an instruction manual. The instruction manual does a good job of explaining the many operating modes.

What you get.

Since I don’t have any DMX control equipment, I’m looking at this from the standpoint of a casual user, one who will be using this for in-home parties with family and friends. For that, the lighting effects and control options are stellar. It really does turn a room into a party room.

The professional control options are impressive.

Of course, that’s not to say the Laluce Stage Light is perfect. For instance, you’ll definitely hear its fan. It’s more like a white noise type of sound, though, and, in any case, it does keep everything nice and cool when it’s running, even for hours on end, which is helpful around small kids and clumsy adults.

The light can be hung or is cool enough to rest just about anywhere.

Perhaps the biggest issue for me, though, relates to the aforementioned short AC plug. It doesn’t stay in the unit well and tends to fall out if the unit is jostled. Also, on my plug, the third prong for the three prong plug end was loose and clearly damaged. Since it’s only the ground, I wasn’t overly concerned about getting a shock, but the quality of the included plug is definitely disconcerting, especially with how nice the rest of the setup is.

Our computer room was a party room for quite a while.

Whether for professional or casual use there’s a lot to like about the Laluce Stage Light. The first thing I’d want to do though is replace that AC plug with something of better quality. Hopefully Laluce addresses this potential issue at some point so their otherwise excellent product can be recommended without qualification.

The effect is even more impressive live.

Thanks to Laluce for the discounted review unit.

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Review: SE JT6218 Watch Band Link Pin Tool Kit

Having reviewed watches, and in particular bracelet-style watch bands for the Apple Watch, it became clear that it would make sense to invest in something like the SE JT6218 Watch Band Link Pin Tool Kit. In theory, a kit like this would allow me to skip the jeweler or mall watch kiosk and do the same thing myself for a fraction of what it would cost to get just one watch band sized correctly to my wrist by someone else.

The front of the package.

Fortunately, the SE JT6218 Watch Band Link Pin Tool Kit delivered. I took the opportunity to do this during some downtime at a family Easter holiday visit and enlisted the help of my father. While you can do this by yourself, it’s definitely good to have someone by your side to help you figure things out.

The back of the package includes the instructions.

The kit comes with a dual-head hammer, with one metal side and one nylon side, a watch band holder, and three pin punches of various sizes. While I couldn’t tell which pin punch was which, they’re 0.8, 0.9, and 1.0 mm thickness; at least two of those sizes were definitely needed for the two watch bands I was doing.

Getting to work.

Success.

The instructions are straightforward, but the actual process is dependent upon the watch band itself. Basically you place the band on the holder, select which link you want to remove, then hammer out the pin. You’ll want to repeat the same process on the other side of the band, so the locking clip is centered on your wrist. In my case, I had to repeat the process on my two bands and remove two links each. After that, the sizing was spot on. Of course, putting the now separated links back together required some more thought – we didn’t even use any of the tools to do that as they just sort of locked back into place themselves – but in the end, it all worked out great.

We needed pliers to get the pins out of one of the watch bands.

The only major issue that we ran into was the pins getting stuck on one of the watch bands. We grabbed a pair of pliers and pulled it the rest of the way out. Problem solved, but I suppose that’s one other tool that could have probably been included, or at the very least maybe try and provide pin punches longer than 2 inches, which may have also resolved that particular issue.

My suggestion is to skip the trip out, get this kit, do it yourself, and pocket the extra money you would have otherwise spent. It’s a rewarding experience once you figure it all out.

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