zBoost

If you’ve read my bio on Mom Gadget, you know that I live in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Beautiful on the eyes, soothing for the soul, but not so good for cell phone reception. With a recent switch in carriers from Verizon to AT&T we went from no service in the house to some service. Still, we rarely enjoy more than one bar of service and have frequent dropped calls, missed calls, and overall poor reception. Finding a spot to make or answer a call is hit or miss and once you find it, you stay put until you have completed your call.

The zBoost Dual Band cell phone signal booster promised to change all that. Everything you need for setting up the zBoost is in the box including a snazzy looking little base unit and base antenna, power supply, coaxial cable, and signal antenna. The setup directions are fairly simple to follow and provide installation instructions for three levels of boost from Easy to Better to Best with the Easy setup providing the least amount of boost and the Best setup providing the most. Of course, each boost level upgrade requires just a bit more effort on your part. For Easiest Set-Up: Place the Signal Antenna inside, by a window. For Better Performance: Place the Signal Antenna outside of a window. For Best Performance: Place the Signal Antenna in attic or on the roof. It may seem like a lot of effort to get the best performance, but what’s nice about the zBoost is that once it is setup and turned on, you don’t have to do anything else.

Designed to boost cell phone reception up to 2500 square feet, the zBoost performed exactly as promised even when performing the “Easiest Set-up.” My cell phone went from a single bar to three bars as soon as setup was complete. Both my daughter and I could make and receive calls simultaneously. There are no cumbersome cradles or connections between my phone and the base. I just use my phone as I normally would but without the annoying dropped calls.

Every month I pay out hundreds of dollars to my cell phone service provider and every month I feel just a little bit cheated that I can’t use my cell phone in my own home. Not anymore! zBoost gives my signal the boost it needs.

For more information visitzBoost online.

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Disclaimer - Sample product(s) were provided for testing and reviewing purposes.
Please see my FTC Disclaimer for more details regarding this review.

V-MODA’s Faze Headphone with Microphone

The iPod has come a long way since its inception in 2001.  Apple has given us photo storage, internet access and convenient apps. We have seen the iPod grow in storage size and shrink in physical size. The one thing that has not changed much is the earphones. While I love my new iPod Touch, I find the earphones uncomfortable and ill fitting.

V-MODA’s Faze headphone is a comfortable alternative to Apple’s supplied earphones. Unlike the large plastic iPod earbuds, the Faze comes with three sizes of silicone fittings in both clear and black.  The silicone fittings conform to the shape of your ear and stay put during physical activity so you can work out without having your earphones fall out.  They are very comfortable and actually reduce outside noise so you can enjoy your music.  A control button located on the cord allows you to pause your music with a single click. You can also track forward or track back. Want to record a voice memo on your iPod?  The Faze has a built in microphone.  Just open the Voice Memo app, press record and start speaking. The Faze is also compatible with your personal computer.  I tested the Faze on my MacBook to record a Podcast with GarageBand.  It worked great. Got a call coming in on your iPhone? A single click answers the call and a single click ends the call.

If you are thinking of giving your sweetheart the gift of music this Valentine’s Day, whether it be an iPod, iPhone, Blackberry or other MP3 player, make sure to include V-MODA’s Faze headphones.  Comfortable, convenient and compatible with a variety of devices, the Faze is sure to make your loved one smile from ear to ear.

For more information visit V-MODA.

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Disclaimer - Sample product(s) were provided for testing and reviewing purposes.
Please see my FTC Disclaimer for more details regarding this review.

PowerGenx NiZN Batteries and Charger

I recently received and reviewed the PowerGenx NiZN batteries and charger.  These are environmentally friendly nickel/zinc batteries which are 100% recyclable which means almost no landfill waste.

First I have to say the batteries and charger are true to their promise of shortened charging time of under 2 1/2 hours.  The first charge took about 2  hours for me.  I used these batteries in my Wii and a digital camera and they have a good life per charge.  In addition to the 4 AA batteries I received the charger will also charge 2 AAA batteries at a time.

I loved the way the charger has the AC adapter built into the back.  It folds down for easy storage but there’s no cords or adapters which can get tangled or separated from the charger which ultimately leads to loss.

The charger and batteries are available online at Amazon,.com,  greenbatteries.com and depoteco.com. Charger and 4 AA batteries is around $29.99 and a pack of 4 AA batteries around $14.99 but will pay for themselves in less than a year.

Skinit - Skins for Your Electronics

I have a fun and original gift idea for the holidays for you today! I was so excited when the people at Skinit contacted me about reviewing their products. What is Skinit? It’s skins for your electronics, which are huge among tweens, teens and adults who want to jazz up their laptops, cell phones and more. They really do have something for everyone!

I received two laptop skins (which I was able to pick out the design I wanted!) and our laptops now have a new spark to them.

For myself, I chose the Chromatic Splatter White (pictured to the left) for my HP Pavillion and it is so beautiful. I surprised my husband with the Dallas Cowboys skin for his HP and needless to say, he was excited.

Who knew my laptop was so boring before! LOL.

Skinit electronic device skins can transform almost any electronic device – laptop, cell phone, iPod, gaming device – and make them not only look like new but become truly “yours”.

Mom can give an exclusive Twilight New Moon iPod skin for her daughter and a Reef surfboard iPhone skin for her beach crazed son. Her husband? Easy – NFL Denver Broncos throwback skin for his laptop. And with the ability to upload family photos and make custom skins, she knows exactly what holiday family picture will be on her MP3 player…

You can’t go wrong giving a gift of true personalization. And it doesn’t hurt that they provide protection from everyday wear and tear especially when traveling. And are easy to remove – no sticky residue or harm to the device.

Skinit skins make a great holiday gift for so many reasons. They aren’t expensive, they are an original idea, they last forever and when that person uses their electronic device…they’ll think of you every time. I am planning on purchasing a few for my two older kids who would love to add some character to their electronic devices.

Image Credit: Skinit

Brother P-Touch PT-90 Labeler Review

I am an organizational freak! I used to own and operate a Professional Organizing business and my labeler was my right hand man, er, machine. I always loved the look on my clients’ faces after we had their room all organized and some things labeled.

I’ll never forget this one man’s reaction after we had spent hours sorting through their family photos, putting them into photo boxes and then labeling them. He just stood there in front of the shelf staring at it forever. I think I saw a small twinkle in his eye.

I do have one labeler, but there are some functions it is missing. I can only do one font and it doesn’t have the option to put a decorative border around it. Well, in came the Brother P-Touch PT-90 Labeler into my life. We are a match made in heaven for sure!

The Brother P-Touch PT-90 labeler is a personal handheld labeler that is a part of the new Simply Stylish product series, which includes an easy-to-use Deco Mode application that prints extra-stylish labels. The PT-90 has a sleek new design and includes 3 interchangeable Face Plates to customize your labeler to fit your personality. It can be used for creative or organizational labeling projects in the home or at school.

Here are the features of the Brother P-Touch PT-90 Labeler:

Hardware

* New, sleek white color
* 3 interchangeable colorful face plates for personalizing your machine’s look
* Easy view, 12-characer LCD display
* Handheld design with Typewriter style keyboard
* Uses non-laminated “M” series tapes in 3/8” and 1/2” widths
* Operates on 4 “AAA” batteries (not included)

Software

*8 Deco Mode Patterns for extra-stylish labels
*8 Type Styles and 7 Framing options
*Select up to 173 Symbols
*Prints 1 or 2 lines
*1 font

My daughter, who is 12, has inherited my obsession with organizing products and I knew as soon as she saw this, it would be a fight to the death! We have agreed to share it and she has used it to label her school folders, put her name on some of her electronic products and her next plan is to use it for a photo album she plans to put together.

The uses for labels, especially ones that have decorative borders, are endless. If there is someone on your holiday gift list who loves organization, this might be just the perfect gift for them. And it is great for tweens and teens too!

Image Credit: Brother

Roku HD Player and Netflix Review, A Great Gift for the Movie Buff

It’s official. I’m in love. I received a Roku HD Player to review and given that I am a little bit of a movie freak, having movies right at my fingertips like this is amazing. This little player is the perfect holiday gift for that movie buff in your family.

The Roku HD Player comes with everything you need to start watching within minutes of opening the box - the standard yellow, white and red cables, both Wi-Fi and Ethernet are built in, wireless remote and batteries. Start watching instantly anywhere you have a TV and a high-speed Internet connection.

We set ours up through our wireless connection and although we did have some problems getting it hooked up, they were resolved quickly by using the Roku forum. It had something to do with the firewall settings with our wireless router. We had to turn them off to get connected, but once the connection was established, we were able to turn the firewall settings back on and use the Roku with no problems what-so-ever.

With the Roku HD Player, more than 50,000 titles are currently available from Amazon Video on Demand and Netflix, with may available in HD. It was so much fun flipping through all of those movies and choosing which ones we wanted to watch.

I haven’t used the Roku with the Amazon Video on Demand yet, but have watched movies through my Netflix subscription. It’s super easy to get on Netflix, click on “watch instantly” and then add to your queue the movies you want to watch on your Roku. After you have selected a movie or two, they are instantly available on your Roku player for you to enjoy.

The Roku will cost you $99 and I say it is definitely well worth the price. I no longer have to rent movies from that movie store down the street or use that box at our local grocery store and hope that the movie I want is available. I just hop on the computer and choose a movie.

I also have a subscription through Netflix where I  receive three movies at a time in the mail. I add the movies to my queue and they arrive in my mail box in one day. For someone who loves movies, I am in movie heaven!

If you are struggling trying to decide on a gift for someone in your family or a friend, consider getting them the Roku HD Player. It’s a gift that is completely unexpected and one that keeps on giving day after day and week after week.

Image Credit: Amazon.com