Gadgethead 2.1

MAGAZINE

ISSUE 2.1

www.gadgetheadmag.com

iStorage diskAshur Pro SKEYE MINI DRONE

Ozobot

UK

£4.95

INSPIRED BY YOUR SUCCESS

DriveStation™ Quad Direct Attached Storage USB 3.0

HD-QHU3/R5

Huge Capacity Direct Attached Storage Huge Capacity Direct Attached Storage

Buffalo Technology’s DriveStation™ Quad (HD-QHU3 series) is a 4-bay Direct Attached Storage device perfect for demanding SMB. The HD-QHU3 comes fully populated with high-reliability Buffalo Technology’s DriveStation™ WD Red™ drives in total capacities of up to 24TB.

Quad (HD-QHU3 series) is a 4-bay

™ The DriveStation Quad is RAID-enabled customised Direct Attached Storage deviceforperfect redundancy and capacity depending on your specific needs for demanding SMB. The HD-QHU3 and also comes with 10 licenses of NovaStor NovaBACKUP comes Essentials fully populated Business software. with high-

reliability WD Red™ drives in total

The DriveStation™ Quad features the capacity, redundancy, capacities of required up to 24TB. and performance for any demanding user – the perfect solution for backing up large servers, multimedia files, or databases. The HD-QHU3 series is sold fully populated with WD Red drives and total capacities of 8, 12, 16, or 24TB. HD-QHU3/R5

Features and Benefits • 4 bay Direct Attached Storage fully populated with WD Red™ hard drives - Available with 8, 12, 16, or 24TB capacities

• RAID-enabled for performance and reliability - Supports RAID 0/1/5/10/Spanning/JBOD

• Perfect for Server, PC, and/or Database Backup

Features and Benefits

- Also includes 10 free licenses of NovaStor NovaBackup Business Essentials

• Power Saving – Auto Power feature turns on and off automatically with your computer

4-bay Direct Attached Storage •• SuperSpeed connectivity with USB 3.0

fully populated with WD Red™ hard drives with 8, 12, 16, or 24TB capacities • RAID-enabled for performance and reliability - Supports RAID 0/1/5/10/Spanning/JBOD • Perfect for ™Server, PC, and/or Database Backup - Also includes 10 free licenses of NovaStor NovaBACKUP® Business Essentials • Power Saving – Auto Power feature turns on and off automatically with your computer ched Storage • SuperSpeed connectivity with USB 3.0 • 3 year warranty - Available • 3 year warranty

tation Quad

Editor in Chief Daemon Sands daemonsands@littlegatepublishing.com Sales Director Alex Smith alexsmith@littlegatepublishing.com Corporate Director Anthony Letchumaman anthonyl@littlegatepublishing.com Lead Designer Alina Sandu studio@littlegatepublishing.com Publisher Stephen Warman stevewarman@littlegatepublishing.com

● Breffo Spiderpodium ● EASTPAK Volker 35L Backpack ● iStorage diskAshur Pro 1TB Page 10

● Ozobot ● Aqua Sphere Kaiman Exo Mirrored Lens Swimming Goggles ● Taylor’s Eye Witness Brooklyn Copper Knife Set ● SKEYE Mini Drone ● Alfille Temperature Controlled Butter Dish Page 20

● Wonder Workshop Dash and Dot ● Hostess Twin Milk Frother ● Icemule Pro Cooler ● Novis Vita Juicer The Vitamin Twister ● Therm-a-rest Neoair Dream Page 30

● Bollé 6th Sense Sunglasses ● Litter Kwitter ● Zoggs Predator Flex Titanium Reactor Swimming Goggles

HD-QHU3/R5

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BREFFO SPIDERPODIUM The Spiderpodium is one of those simple gadgets that comes along and makes you say “ooh, that’s a good idea”, a phone holder that will fit any phone, you can attach it to the vents on the dashboard of the car and can also be secured to the back of the head rest so kids and adults alike can watch films on the move. However, it isn’t limited to the car, the Spiderpodium can be used on any surface and unlike most phone cases it can be moulded to hold the phone in many positions, use it as a stand, dock, grip, tripod or holster, once we started playing around it turned into a competition to find the

most obscure use (the winner was bourbon biscuit holder but not sure that counts). The Spiderpodium has multiple-flexible legs which allows for a strong and secure hold on all types of smartphones, no matter what size or setup, as well as smartphones, it can be used for portable movie players, mp3 or 4 players, gaming systems, SatNavs, camcorders, portable projectors, compact cameras, e-readers and more.

The down side to these multipleflexible legs is that the metal is quite fine and with constant bending they can snap off. Just as people like to personalise their phone cases you can

choose a Spiderpodium in 8 different colours and Breffo have even created a big brother version for your tablet. The Spiderpodium is a carefully thought-out design that allows you to still be able to access your charger and headphone port and doesn’t cover your camera and due to its slim build and light weight it is super portable. Overall we were liked this little gadget it may not last forever but for the money it is a good little buy. RRP £14.99

Rating

Pros • Value for money • Variety of colours • Really versatile • Innovative design • Available for smartphones and tablets Cons • Legs can be fragile and break off from constant bending www.breffo.com/spiderpodium

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Rating

Pros • Attractive • Multi compartments including organiser and security pocket • Comfortable to wear Cons • Material on the back could be more breathable www.eastpak.com

EASTPAK Volker 35L Backpack

I really like the visual design of this backpack, the model we had was Mono Mist, an attractive soft blue with light brown leather details which complement each other nicely, the inside pockets are also the same colour making it easier to find items in the depth of the bag. The shoulder straps meet across the back of the neck that at first I thought might rub but it is actually very comfortable and with the sternum strap it distributes weight making even heavy loads easy to carry. There are 5 compartments in total, the main body is split into 2 compartments, one being a fully padded laptop compartment (45 x 30cm). There is a roomy front pocket and the secondary pocket behind that has another four separate compartments inside for further storage, including a key clip, then a bigger single compartment behind that. The fifth compartment is my favourite, a secret security pocket that rests against your back so you can store money or passports without any fear of sticky fingers getting hold of your stuff. The back is nicely padded but it doesn’t breathe particularly well so for example my boyfriend ended up with an attractive sweat patch which doesn’t matter on a day out but wouldn’t look good on an office shirt of a commuter so it maybe something to consider or perhaps my partner is just particularly sweaty. There are 2 compression straps on each side that allows you to make the back more compact when it isn’t at its fullest, as well as a bottle holder on the left hand side that zips away when you aren’t using it. This isn’t designed for hiking or grand adventures but it is a nice-looking practical bag that can move seamlessly from work bag to gym bag to weekend bag. RRP £95

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Secure Your Data Hardware Encrypted (AES 256-bit) USB 3.0 External Hard Drive PIN activated (6-16 digits) Works with PC, Mac, Linux, Citrix, Android, Thin Clients and Embedded Systems

No Software required Capacities from 250GB, up to 2TB Administration feature allows 1Admin and up to 5 User PIN codes

Call +44 (0) 20 8991 6260 or visit www.istorage-uk.com

ISTORAGE DISKASHUR PRO 1TB Of all the portable storage devices I have reviewed during 2015 this is by far the most secure, to the point that this is what I now use to back up my own business data. At the last company I worked for there were two instances where data was stolen by an ex-employee which led to the business losing thousands of pounds and creating hours of headaches so having a device that backs up all critical data with passwords and only known by the few who need to know is so important.

The iStorage diskAshur Pro comes with a built in keypad on the front which you can set to have a pin code of between 7 and 16 numbers, when setting up the pin it has the same inbuilt combination checking as when you set up any passwords online to stop obvious 1111111’s and 123456789’s etc. If your device has fallen into the wrong hands they have ten attempts to crack the pin, upon failure of this an option is given to reset the device by using a complicated code, after this if there is another ten failed attempts the hard drive will need reformatting. (so make sure you don’t forget the pin!!)

The iStorage diskAshur Pro is made from black plastic with a matt rubbery finish, on the front is the keypad and on the right side is a USB cable which is around 11cm in length – if this length is too short the device does come with an extension cable. Inside this casing is a

2.5 inch SATA disk and you can choose between four sizes 500GB, 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB; you could also opt for an SSD of 128GB or 512GB. It worked just as well as the unencrypted portable hard drives we reviewed this month, with speeds of around 110MB/S on Windows and 100 MB/S on OS X. This is our pick of the month. RRP £199.99

Rating

Pros • Quick Read/Write times • Nice Design • Easy to use www.istorage-uk.com

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Rating

Pros • Lots of Fun • Can be customised • Educational • Value for money Cons • Would like to see a longer battery life www.ozobot.com

OZOBOT

With successful movies like Iron Man, Transformers and Big Hero 6 robotics are very much on trend, the Ozobot fits perfectly in between a fun and educational toy that allows the imagination to run wild whilst teaching them the basics on coding at the same time, while primarily a children’s toy we had plenty of fun with this little guy in the office. Ozobot is a cute little robot measuring in at just an inch high and wide, but don’t let the size deceive you this little critter is smart, it has

an intelligent photo sensor array that recognises patterns, lights, and codes it also has an automatic detection functionality for physical and digital playing surfaces (it can be used on both paper and tablets) AND has the technology to detect and respond to different colours. Ozobot can understand over a thousand different instructions resulting in a brilliant and exciting way of introducing young minds the world of coding which is becoming an important skill in our ever

technological dependant society. There is structured STEM/STREAM lesson plans and other content available for free on OZOBOT.com plus free apps (available on both IOS and Android), you can play alone or challenge friends to games and he will even dance to your favourite song. There are skins available to personalise Ozobot and give him even more personality than he has already got. We found ourselves becoming obsessed with this little guy and here is where we found his only flaw, due to his small size he gets tired quickly giving you about 40mins of game time but that was compensated with a swift charge up time (taking about 30mins). The bottom line with Ozobot is that it is a delightful gaming companion that exposes the user to the basics of coding, there is so much to discover with Ozobot that it will bring hours of entertainment and at a reasonable price we thing you can’t go wrong. RRP $59.95

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Aqua Sphere Kaiman Exo Mirrored Lens Swimming Goggles I tested the Aqua Sphere Kaiman Exo Mirrored Lens Swimming Goggles out at my local public sports pool where my routine is to swim 60 lengths (1 mile) once a week. The first difference I noticed between my normal goggles and these was that the nose bridge wasn’t adjustable. I thought this was going to be an issue but they fitted my face with comfort, normally I have had to use the smaller nose bridges on goggles but this one size fits all system was compatible for both me and my swimming partner (who is more wellendowed in the nasal region). The second difference was the adjustment straps on the sides which have been designed to negate the usual battle of pulling rubber against rubber, leading to over tightening and then battling to loosen the straps again. Aqua Sphere use micrometric strap adjustment buckles which means a gentle pull in one direction and it clicks into place, then by pulling a small lever up and pulling in the opposite direction you can easily release the strap again - this makes putting them on a lot simpler as I can tighten them up once they are on

my head unlike my old ones where it was a two handed job. The straps stay in place whilst swimming, keeping the seal tight around my eyes, the Anti-Fog works surprisingly well (I have had other goggles that claim to be Anti-Fog only to fog up after a few arm up lengths).

The Kaiman Exo also has a patented curved lens with a 180-degree field of vision which is my favourite thing about these goggles, I never realised how much the vision was blinkered before with the standard lens but Kaiman Exo allowed me to improve my freestyle stroke as when my head was facing the bottom of the pool I had a better field of vision to stop me crashing into the barrier and the little old ladies in the slow lane. At the end of my swimming session I didn’t have red rings around my eyes or that fatigued feeling that poorer quality goggles can give you, so to round up these are comfortable goggles to wear that can keep up with fast paced swimming and allow you to have a greater field of vision for a higher performance swimming session.

RRP ÂŁ15

Rating

Pros • Comfortable, light to wear.

• Good seal around the eyes.

• Latex free.

• Quick and easy adjustable side straps.

• 100% UVA and UVB protection.

• Plexisol® lenses with Anti-fog and Anti-scratch treatment.

• 180 degree field of vision curved lenses.

Cons • Non-adjustable nose bridge.

• Silicone head strap can pull at hair so we recommend using a swimming cap.

• Build quality could look better in parts. www.aquasphereswim.com

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TAYLOR’S EYE WITNESS BROOKLYN COPPER KNIFE SET Taylor’s Eye Witness has been making knives since 1838 and produce a huge variety of knives, scissors and accessories. The Brooklyn copper knife set is a midrange line that comes with a paring knife, all round knife, carving knife, bread knife, chef’s knife and an acrylic knife block. Each knife has a black blade and handle with a copper plated finger guard and look really attractive when all put together in the knife block. The blades are hollow ground stainless steel with an antibacterial, hard ceramic coating and I sharpened one up to see if it had any effect on the black coating which I am pleased to say it did not. All the knives are very sharp and they stay sharp, I had

no idea how blunt my old knives were until I compared them to these, they made light work of chopping and dicing and with the soft grip handle there is no risk of the knife slipping from your hand. I believe you get value for money with these knives but what does concern me however is the knife block itself, although it looks nice because it is made of plastic it is quite light and the knives make it top heavy. It doesn’t take a lot to make it wobble and I would worry about knocking it over as there is nothing to stop the knifes then falling out, I would rather pay extra for a heavier block. To summarise a sharp set of knives that will be living in my draw rather than in their block. RRP £70

Rating

Pros • Sharp • Soft grip handle • Dish washer safe Cons • Light weight knife block could tip over www.taylors-eye-witness.co.uk

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SKEYE MINI DRONE

All good things come in small packages and this mini drone is no exception, don’t let the size deceive you either. We have tried out mini drones before which are about as easy to control as a herd of kittens but this little thing is surprisingly user friendly, it is on the higher end of the market for these size drones but you are getting something that after a little practice that you can actually fly competently.

Sophisticated circuitry, piezoelectric gyros, and accelerometers makes the SKEYE very stable, its smart software calibrates the model every time it is turned on for stable flight. There are two flying modes, Beginner and Advanced and with a little time you can perform skilful take offs, vertical climbs, turn cycles, figure of eights, banking turns and even flips, making it a really fun drone perfect for beginners. It is ready to fly straight out of the box with a 4GB Micro SD and blade guards which became essential instantly as I flew it straight into my own face (oh if only I had been recording at the time). The box says

the average flight time is 7-8mins but we are getting just under 10 mins with only 30 mins to charge it up again and it has a good remote control range of up to 50m. It only weighs 37grams so the manufactures only recommend taking it out on very calm days as there is a risk of it getting blown away, but it is good fun zipping it around the house although it isn’t the quietest of things so there was no chance of sneaking it up on my partner. The one thing we were disappointed with was the HD camera, it maybe HD but with no flash light it really struggles to get a good picture in low light. It can pick up sound which isn’t bad quality but you do get the buzz off the motors in the background, however like I said it is a great beginner drone that can introduce you the world of flying and in the right light get some reasonable snaps and videos. RRP £69

Rating

Pros • Great stable controls • Clear instructions • Ready out of the box • 4GB Micro SD, blade guards and spare propellers included • User friendly instructions • Records sound Cons • Video distortion and grainy photos www.trndlabs.com

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ALFILLE TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED BUTTER DISH Is there anything more disheartening than cutting the perfect slice of freshly baked bread only for it to become completely mangled as you try to spread rock hard butter on to it? I’m not sure there is and that is why I was so happy to discover that David Alfille had invented the temperature controlled butter dish. It automatically heats or cools to the perfect spreadable temperature so it is ready when you want it, with the same consistency every time allowing you to set it to your own preferred level of softness with the temperature gage. It has a low-power fan and ventilation outlets

to keep the temperature in check and I was surprised as to how quiet it actually was. It can be unplugged so you can put it on your table and can be adapted to be used in a caravan or even in your car although we heavily discourage buttering while driving. I’m not sure it would even be possible but I wish this butter dish didn’t need to be plugged in all the time as we have three plugs in our kitchen and a microwave, coffee machine, milk frother, toaster, a speaker and occasionally a toothbrush charger all fighting for those, it is also bigger than the normal butter dish due to the cooling unit underneath so you need to

be able to dedicate both some space and a plug socket. The fan on the bottom of the unit can clog up with dust and yuk so make sure you look after it by cleaning it out regularly to avoid it over heating. This is probably one of the few gadgets where the novelty hasn’t worn off after a few weeks, it has actually become quite indispensable, no it won’t help improve your waistline by any means but who cares, I will just have another perfectly buttered crumpet and promise to exercise tomorrow. RRP £38.98 - £43.98 depending on design.

Rating

Pros • Keeps better a perfect temperature • Portable • Dishwasher proof • Quiet • Comes in a variety of designs Cons • Fan needs looking after • Needs plugging in all the time • Takes up a bit of work top space www.alfille.co.uk

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Rating

Pros • Durable • Educational and entertaining • More apps on the way • Lots of different ways to play with it • Long battery life • Dash works well on carpet, wood, laminate.

Cons • Dot has rather limited abilities and our test subjects go bored with it • Check Compatibility with tablet or phone to avoid disappointment www.makewonder.com

WONDER WORKSHOP DASH AND DOT

Dash and Dot are two clever robots created by Wonder Workshop to help teach the basic of robotics to kids. Dot is a little ball of brains that can be programmed by using free apps Wonder and Blockly (iPhone and Android compatible) allowing you to control its lights, sounds, and sensors as well as games ready to play straight out of the box. Dash has all the brains AND the ability to respond to the world around it, with voice recognition, speakers to talk back to you, object navigation and three wheels to dance and run around your house.

There are 5 different apps to play with: • Go (gets you started with the basics of Dash)-Dash only • Wonder (program Dash and Dot capabilities, developing elaborate behaviours- ages 8+) • Blocky (program Dash and Dot by snapping pieces of puzzle code togetherage 8+) • Xylo (add a xylophone to Dash and teach him how to play- all ages)-Dash only • Path (draw a path for dash to follow- all ages)- Dash only.

The apps use picture based language and challenges as a fun way to learn how to control your robot and really get to grips with the app. Both Dash and Dot feel very strong and with big buttons for little hands and have brilliant battery life with up to 5 hours of playtime. With more apps on the way and with accessories like the launcher and Building Brick Connectors compatible with Lego there is so much to explore with these toys, personally the Dash is the better of the two as it is compatible with all 5 apps, interacts with you and for a younger audience they can start off driving the robot around until they become curious enough to experiment with coding. Our test subjects lost interest with the Dot after a few days of play but the Dash was still a hit after 2 weeks. RRP Dash and Dot Pack $199.95

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Hostess Twin Milk Frother I am a mug for pretentious coffee (excuse the pun) and I love to go out for a tall half-skinny half-1 percent extra hot split quad shot latte as much as the next person but if I can save the trouble of taking out a mortgage for one hot drink and make it myself in the comfort of my own home even better.

We already have a coffee machine at home that uses pods to make reasonable Espressos and Americano’s but it really sucks at Cappuccinos and Lattes as the milk pods are UHT, sweet, tepid and most importantly NOT FROTHY!! When we got the chance to test the Hostess Twin Milk Frother I was really excited to give it a whirl and see what it could do, unlike a handheld milk frother the Hostess heats the milk as well as frothing it up (if that’s the appropriate terminology). My first impression was surprise at the high quality construction for a modestly priced item, in the box you get the plug in base, two 250ml jugs with lids, four frothers and two stirrer attachments

and the instruction manual. It’s simple to use with 3 buttons to choose between, cold drinks (milk shakes) which will froth or stir (depending on which attachment you are using) before switching off automatically, the second will heat it to 60 degrees, 70 degrees if pressed again and the third is for making hot chocolate, heating it to 70 degrees and up to 80 degrees if pressed again. 80 degrees is the max temp it will heat the milk to so if you are a fan of extra hot lattes you are out luck but I have never understood who these asbestos mouthed people are anyway. It can take up to 4 mins for the milk to heat up to the desired temp depending on the temp it starts at but you can switch it on, walk away and let it do its stuff. There is room to store two spare attachments under the base which seems odd and there are 6 attachments altogether so the other two have to go in the draw. Sadly two or three times now it has started to froth the milk but then the attachment

stops spinning and the machine emits a loud high pitch noise, the trouble-shoot in the instructions suggest removing the attachment and replacing it again firmly, doing this a couple of times got the machine working again fine but it is a hassle pouring out the milk so you can remove the attachment especially if the jugs are already hot. So what’s the verdict? Overall I was impressed,

90% of the time it works straight away and it works really well. It doesn’t quite replicate the silky micro-foam you get from a steam nozzle in your local coffee shop, it lacks a little thickness to pull off the perfect cappuccino but it makes a lovely latte, mocha and hot chocolate so in my eyes it’s the next best thing.

RRP £65

Rating

Pros • Heats to 3 different temps • Cold setting for milkshake • Jugs, lids and attachments all dishwasher proof • Jugs made from not stick material so they clean easily • Can make hot and cold drinks at the same time

Cons • Can be temperamental • Only room for two attachments under the unit www.hostessrange.co.uk

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Icemule Pro Cooler The Icemule Pro Cooler claims to be, “The World’s Most Portable HighCapacity Cooler”. It has all the power of a hard luggage style cooler but in the form of a soft backpack, it has reinforced back-straps and ventilated back pads which make the Icemule Pro comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The Icemule Pro doesn’t muck about, it understands your need for lots of storage space, never again will you have to choose between keeping you BBQ meat cold or having an ice cool beer by the campfire. The Icemule Pro comes in sizes Large (20L or in drinks terms that’s 18 cans plus ice), Xtra Large (30L) and Xtra Xtra Large

(40L), and when it’s not in use there is a clever little air valve that allows you to remove all the air in the insulation layers so it can be folded down and stored away in its own stuff bag (we love a stuff bag). The Icemule uses PolarLayer Insulation which keeps your contents cool for 24hours and due to the patented design the welded seams, a double-layered shell that houses insulating foam between the layers and the water tight roll-top closure ensures there are no leaks from the inside and keeps everything else out. Whilst testing we found that the ice in the

bag hadn’t melted even after 24hours it actually took about 36 hours for it to melt completely. The Icemule Pro also has some webbing on the front of the bag to store something that doesn’t need to be chilled, I personally would love to see a little more storage for non-chilled products, maybe a couple of side pockets for bread rolls, tea bags or even a small gas stove. If you are the outdoorsy type this is a great buy and you will soon be feeling smug watching people lug their bulky box coolers that will only let them down after half a day.

RRP $99.95 (L) - $139.95 (XXL).

Rating

Pros • Available in 3 sizes • Keeps things cool for a minimum of 24hours • Shoulder straps comfortable to carry • Water tight, no leaks.

Cons • Limited storage space for non-chilled items www.icemulecooler.com

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Novis Vita Juicer The Vitamin Twister The Novis Vita Juicer is a Swiss Engineered Juicer and citrus press that claims to be able to get 20% more nutrients than conventional juicers.

On first look this machine can come across a bit of an intimidating monster, where the heck is that going to live?

Was my partners first response, but for everything this machine can do it is actually pretty compact, if feels reassuringly solid too like you could juice a brick in there if you wanted to. It is available in 8 colours but being Swiss a bold red has a lovely appeal (ha peal!).

There are 4 actions available here all in one machine, Juicing, Pressing, Blending and Vitatec, it takes a little while to remember which components you need for which process but we wrote down a cheat sheet and stuck it on the front of the instruction book for a quick reference. The Vita uses a

centrifuge to suck the fruit or veg into the machine meaning you don’t have to use pressure or a stick to force it down, it produces a really good yield compared to other standard machines and this is proven by the almost dry pulp left inside, nothing goes to waste.

The biggest turn off for me with any machine like this is the hassle of cleaning afterwards but all the components are dish washer proof and easy to remove, there is no mess inside the machine and the brilliantly innovative drip proof nozzle means there is no sticky mess left on the work top. Another one of my favourite things about this juicer is the extra wide funnel that means you don’t have to spend time cutting the fruit and veg into small parts, half an apple will fit easily into the funnel. RRP £349.99

Rating

Pros • 8 colours available • Makes juice, smoothies, c • Drop proof Nozzle • Extra wide funnel • Centrifuge technology guides produce into the machine • Quiet • Easy to clean

Cons • Hard to remember how to assemble for which function • Heavy (could be a problem if it is stored away on a cupboard) www.vitajuicer.com

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THERM-A-REST NEOAIR DREAM When we took the Neoair Dream out camping we also took out a bog standard blow up Argos basic air bed, once they were blown up, my partner, being a gentleman, asked me which I would prefer I looked at the Neoair Dream and then the thicker basic bed and choose that, epic mistake! In the morning my air bed had deflated so much my butt was touching the ground it was really uncomfortable and the material itself felt horrible if it touched my skin, so I made a big fuss and he gave up the Neoair dream to me for night two. What a difference, I woke up really well rested with no aches and pains and finally answering that age old argument, size really doesn’t matter. There are three things working together with the Neoair, first there is the is the 3 inch inflatable air pad which is made of polyester making it lighter than the standard nylon air bed, on top of that there is a 1 inch Nylon and PU Foam layer which hugs your body and smooths out any lumps creating a flat sleeping surface and lastly there is a light weight poly cover that zips around the first two layers with a wonderfully soft fleece topping that’s like laying your

skin on a regular bedsheet. Washable It all packs down into a small stuff bag which can also be used to inflate it by trapping air in the bag and squeezing it through a valve into the bed, however I only had to watch my man struggle with this for 2 mins before I handed him the battery pump. Once it is inflated it stayed up for the duration of the trip, 4 days whilst the traditional airbed had to be pumped up every day. There have been complaints that this bed is noisy due to the polyester inflatable and maybe it was the hippys on the bongos in the tent next door and my boyfriend who snores like an industrial chain saw but I really didn’t find an issue with any noise. I understand that Thermarest want their products to be compact but I would love to see them produce a double mattress for those of us who are more glampers than campers other than that there is nothing else that could improve the Neoair in my eyes.

This is by far the most comfortable inflatable bed we have had, it’s has all the comfort of my bed at home but in a conveniently compact and light package. RRP £189.99

Rating

Pros • Super cozy and warm • Light weight • Easy to inflate and deflate • Outer layer machine washable • Available in two sizes L 25” 77” 4” or XL 30” 77” 4” • Puncture repair and stuff bag included

Cons • Only available as a single bed www.cascadedesigns.com

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Rating

Pros • Photochromic, anti-fog, water and finger mark resistant lenses • Prescription and extra lenses available • Comfortable and lightweight • Strong and Resistant • Great visibility with wide field of vision • Adjustable nosepiece • Also performed as running and snowboarding glasses.

Cons • Only comes with one set of lenses • Vents may cause problems for hay fever suffers www.bolle-europe.co.uk

BOLLÉ 6TH SENSE SUNGLASSES The 6th Sense sunglasses are without a doubt the most technical thing I have ever had on my face, although for the majority of the time I would forget I was even wearing them. They performed really well against the dazzling low light you get this time of year, they reduced glare and were extremely comfortable to wear with an adjustable nose piece that can be moulded to fit any nose and weigh in at an impressively light 28g. Bollé use a hydrophilic material on the nose piece and temple tips so even when I got caught in some drizzle they didn’t slip, plus the lenses have a special coating that makes water bead off and prevents water stains so the rain won’t spoil your vision, it also reduces finger print smudges. That isn’t all these lenses can do however, they are also photochromic (darkens or lightens depending on how bright it is) and have an Anti-fog coating which works really well, I had no steaming up when I looked down or stopped when at junctions. As if that wasn’t enough my favourite thing about these sunglasses is the wide field of vision, the minimalist frame doesn’t

impact your peripheral vison and the glasses sit high enough on your face that your eyes are still protected when riding in an aerodynamic positon even if you clip on the fairing they are far back enough to keep out of your eye line. The frames themselves may at first seem a little flimsy but that’s only because they are so light, they are surprisingly resilient and that was put to the test when my partner, who is wonderfully clumsy, managed to sit on them before I even had a chance to test them out, and they survived.

As a little extra protection they come with a soft bag to keep the lenses from becoming scratched and a hard case for added protection. I love these glasses and can’t really fault them, my brother-in-law suffers who suffers from bad hay fever however wasn’t keen on the vents as it can get a little breezey so this could be something to consider if you do suffer from hay fever. Other than that another set of lenses included might be nice gesture as these are high-priced glasses but I would still pay the money for them as they perform so well. RRP £106

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LITTER KWITTER Ever watched the scene from Meet the Parents where Jinxy the cat uses the toilet? It may surprise you to know that there are cats out there who really do use the toilet, these are not just sophisticated kitties who have abandoned the litter trays from their own accord but they have gone through serious training. The Litter Kwitter is a training aid the uses 3 simple steps to take your cat from tray to toilet in as little as 8 weeks, ok so 8 weeks might sound a long time but when your furry friend lives 15 years on average think of all the time, mess and money you could save by never having to use litter trays again. The Litter Kwitter uses a one size fits all toilet seat that you simply place over the top of your own toilet seat with various colour coded rings that fit inside, the rings start off as a normal litter tray and then a hole in the middle gets bigger and bigger until they adjust to balancing on the toilet seat with no training aid at all (it comes with a DVD to explain how to train your cat effectively and has tips and problem solvers too), the only thing you will need to bring yourself to the training process is patience. I was impressed with the product and DVD tutorial and set about following the instructions to try and train my two

3-year-old cats. You have to take a leap of faith and remove all the litter trays in the house, this is where we fell at the first hurdle, one of my cats (the more dominate one) wasn’t fazed by the change but my other little boy wasn’t happy about having to share the tray with his brother and we had a few little accidents in the porch until I finally gave in and put a small tray back for him to use. Litter Kwitter do explain that two or more cats have to be comfortable in using one tray before you can start training and I had often seen them use the same tray but as they had 3 to choose from I guess sharing wasn’t that big of a deal. As soon as I had one litter tray back down it led to two and before I knew it we had given up on the whole thing. This has no reflection on the product however and there are plenty of people out there who have tried and succeeded in training their cats to use to toilet, including my friend (currently on the second amber stage) who I passed the Litter Kwitter on to after my failed attempt. So if you want to say goodbye to stinky litter trays and teach your kitty to use the toilet the Litter Kwitter is a brilliant training tool, just remember to leave your toilet seat up. RRP £39.95

Rating

Pros • RSPCA approved • Comes with everything you need to train your cat • Made from the same material as fireman hats so will take the weight of the fattest kitty • It will pay for itself as there are no more cat litter costs • One size fits all toilet seats

Cons • If using it for more than one cat ALL cats must be comfortable using one tray • Not a negative for the Litter Kwitter but a negative of cats in general, if they REALLY don’t want to do something they won’t do it, don’t force or punish kitty for not wanting to change their routine. www.litterkwitter.com

Gadgethead Magazine

33

ZOGGS PREDATOR FLEX TITANIUM REACTOR SWIMMING GOGGLES The Predator Flex Titanium Reactor Goggles are some of the most technical swimming goggles out there, the aim is to create a superior swimming goggle that can be used for both indoor and outdoor use, in low light and bright light which means you will never need more than this one pair of goggles for all your swimming activity. The model name sounds very impressive but what does it mean? Starting the Predator Flex frame, as you would expect, it is very flexible, soft and comfortable to wear, it seals well around the eye without creating any suction or discomfort, the goggles can be tightened and loosened by using micrometric straps at the side, I found you had to pull really hard on the straps to get them to tighten which is a bit fiddly but once they are in place they won’t loosen up on you and leak like some cheaper goggles. There is also no option of adjusting the nose bridge but due to the super flexibility

of the goggles its seems to fit securely to everyone in the office (trust me when I say there is an array of head and nose sizes in this place) so perhaps adjustable nose bridges are a thing of the past. Next the Titanium lenses have been designed to enhance visibility and reduce any glare that could interfere with performance, they are also curved for 180 degree peripheral vision. I found the view was clear in and out of the water and I had a degree of peripheral vision but sadly not as much as I have experienced with other 180 degree goggles. The Predator Flex Titanium Reactor Goggles are treated with Fogbuster Technology which I have to admit was the biggest let down, after two lengths they had fogged up, this could be due to swimming in a leisure pool where the temperature could be warmer than the average sports pool but as these are meant to

be the all-purpose goggle I felt this is an area that could be improved on. Last and the most revolutionary bit of tech in these goggles is the reactor lenses, something we have seen become more common in glasses over the years but never seen before in swimming goggles.

I actually got to test these out in my local pool as there is a crazy amount of glare in the winter afternoons, the transition was fairly slow but I was impressed that the lenses produced the right balance of reduced glare without impairing the vision, this is a brilliant tool for open water training and outdoor leisure swimming alike as well as potentially handy for indoor pools. These goggles do not come cheap but you have to remember how technologically advanced they are it is difficult to compare them to your average everyday goggles. RRP£50

Rating

Pros • Comfortable and secure fit • Good seal, no leaks • Comes with a protective case • Well built • UV protective • Reactive lenses Cons • Would be close to perfect but the Anti-fog needs to be improved www.zoggs.com

Gadgethead Magazine

35

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