MeCam has your night of forgotten memories covered

Here is a new one for me, as I love my digital cameras, from action to DSLR to point and click cameras, each one has it’s own individual purpose and this next one, well this is different from that which I am used to. We have received the Mecam, a small hands free camera, designed to be worn via safety pin or as a necklace to record life in either 720P or 5.0 megapixel images. Want to record your debauchery to see what you got up to the night before? No problem, as the little camera has LED infrared built in to help capture videos and pictures in low light settings. Let’s see how this affordable little go everywhere camera performs.

I particularly enjoyed how small and light the little personal recording device was, weighing in at only a couple ounces, it does not pull on shirts...unless it catches something. Using the Mecam is pretty easy with only three buttons on the right side for my thumb to press without being photobombed by phalanges. This tag along comes in five various colors, so depending on the color of my shirt or backpack strap, it’s inconspicuous and gets some interesting faces from people trying to figure out what they were looking at before asking what it was. I did notice it was a bit difficult to identify the individual buttons at times as they sit almost flush with the case and do not provide much feedback when pressed to let me know if my input was registered, luckily the light on the top indicates power, recording, and mode. The other thing, well that would be the type of connection used, it’s not the nearly universal micro USB, but another cable to store in my laptop bag’s charger pocket, luckily the id America CrossLink freed up some space.

The Mecam is a neat idea that is pretty well executed to be an incognito camera to have on you at those moments where you wish you had a camera on hand. This itty bitty camera clips on via safety pin so it is easy to attach to virtually anything, mine currently resides on the strap of my laptop bag. As someone whose typical on the go action camera is a GoPro and my main digital camera is a DSLR, this is a great in between camera when you are on a hike or out with friends recording the evening to study the game tapes the following day...or figure out who you need to apologize to. That being said, the Mecan is suitable for most any age or situation and available now for the price of $49.99.

Keep your lap cool, and radiation free with the DefenderPad | Review

Laptops - they can get hot!  And, some may claim they can emit some radiation...but alas, you have to put them on your lap (mostly).  Depending on which laptop you have, some get hotter than others, of course, or if you are having a long-winded gaming session, you could experience it more than others.  I personally use a MacBook Air, and it stays relatively cool.

I've spent the last week adding the DefenderPad to my bag of tricks (both literally, my messenger bag, and figuratively, my awesome bag of tech).  Admittedly, I have to remind myself to grab it, but the DefenderPad is designed well to encourage use.  It's fairly light, it's rigid, and you can just slide it in your bag next to your laptop.

A few years back, I had an angled lap pad that I would rest my Toshiba laptop on, but this is obviously much smaller and can be added to your bag with little addition of bulk.

I've never really thought about whether my laptop is causing (or could cause) issues with radiation, however, it being (like cell phones) are such new technologies that we're not sure what will happen over time, but there are studies that state the dangers with the emitted radiation...I now have piece of mind that I'll be protected.

At first, I actually felt this item wasn't really anything to get excited about.  And as far as a piece of tech accessories, it falls pretty flat (pun intended) - it's not all that exciting - but it adds safety, and when I travel for work, I love having the flat, sturdy, rigid surface that is afforded by the DefenderPad.  Even for day to day use, I've found myself changing the way I interact with my laptop at the office, while leaning back comfortably in my chair, using the DefenderPad.  The only other negative would be the price, which at $89.99 is a bitter pill to swallow. 

Mashbuttons.com would recommend the DefenderPad as a "buy".

Check out their Blog that goes into details on why you'll want to keep EMF part of your radar here

Power All Your Gear with Griffins PowerDock 5 | Review

Cool devices need power.  They derive this power from batteries.  Batteries drain quickly.  You have to re-charge your batteries.  Lather, Rinse, and Repeat.  This elementary logic simply highlights the fact that we're slaves to our batteries, and so we must make quick work of keeping their insatiable thirsts for electric juice by charging them.  And most of us (Us, meaning the tech geek, nerd, modern gamer, etc) have more than one device, so Griffin created the PowerDock 5.  No, this is not the 5th generation of said device, but the 5 signals how many devices can charge from the station.

The PowerDock 5 is, as the name suggests, a docking station that has 5 full-powered USB ports (read: 10 Watt Power through all 5 ports).  Like a surge protector for up to 5 USB chargers.  Though the packaging may suggest this is only compatible with iPads or iPhones, quite the contrary, you can use any USB charger.  I have my iPad, iPhone, Kindle, headset charger and PS Vita all connected.  It should be noted, however, that some devices tested, don't necessarily work, according to Griffin. 

Workmanship on the device isn't bad, but the choice of plastics feel a little cheap.  This doesn't take away from the overall usefulness of it, however.  I'm also comparing it to the Griffin TWENTY Airplay Amp, that has that Apple-like plastic feeling.

The only improvement I'd suggest would be a better cable management system.  What ends up happening is you double cross the cables to help hide them, but they just get messy, and there's no clean, secure way of keeping it tidy.  The images on their site suggest it to be much easier, but I just couldn't get them to stay clean and tidy.  A small gripe for helping to manage your array of devices that need charging.

Mashbuttons.com would definitely recommend the PowerDock 5 for your charging needs.

The PowerDock 5 retails for $99, however they're currently out of stock on their online store, instead try Amazon. 

id America outfits us with a lineup fit for any executive

This next review comes from an innovative case and accessory company that is know for their unique look, with cases designed to look like an engine gaskets and headphones that resemble spark plugs. I am talking about id America and rather than a fun style, we got more of a mobile executive suite and the theme is black leather. If you are a proud owner of an iPhone 5, iPad Mini, MP3 player, or multiple electronic devices that requires charging via micro USB, 30 pin, or lightning, id has got you covered. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss my time spent with the Wall St, SmartFold, new Spark, and CrossLink so let’s get to it.

First up is the Wall St, the genuine leather case for the iPhone 5 that offers a place to store cards to try to eliminate that bulky Costanza wallet. This is a sleek little case offers a sleeve design where the phone slides into the case from the top, and it contains a slot for ID, business card, or VIP passes. While this additional slot for storage was nice for an evening out when I only needed my ID and bank card, but it only held 2 cards before I would really have to cram anything else in, the suede lining also make it easy to slide cards out for access. I would have liked for the Wall St to have come in a model without the card slot as well for those of us that have separation anxiety from our wallets. Wall St is available now and comes in a variety of six colors priced at $34.95.

Next up is the SmartFold, a leatherette case for the iPad Mini, and while it is not genuine leather like the Wall St, it is a nice and slim case for the mini tablet. The front flap folds to hold the device at multiple viewing angles and is designed to be a smart cover to auto sleep and wake. I did have an issue with this as my tablet did not sleep with closed and sometimes woke when opened, but was able to feel magnets hold flap closed. With the SmartFold, I still had access to take pictures and face time without obstruction to my view and is easy to wipe clean with a damp cloth, and the iPad Mini slides into the case rather than wrapping in a plastic or rubber shell that is sown onto the synthetic leather material. The SmartFold is available now for $39.95 in black or white.

To go with the black on black on black theme, are the new Spark earbuds that offer high definition sound with an aluminum build. These little plugs come packing a 9mm driver, one button in line remote/microphone, carrying case, and black and white cable that is reminiscent to how the Bose earbuds cable looks. That is where the similarity in looks stops as the actual earbuds are designed to resemble spark plugs. In terms of sound the mids and highs were crisp and offered a nice range, the bass was nice and subtle without drowning out the clarity. That being said, they do fit comfortably with three silicone tip sizes and the cable always tended to get tangled up but while moving around, they always stayed in their place and did not have to fumble with finding and putting them back in place. The new Spark is available now also in black or white for the price of $59.95.

Lastly, and this is more of a must have multi purpose cable that is great for consolidating numerous charging cables. The CrossLink is a flat cable with soft rubber coating that does not tangle or bind and is three feet long. It has the capability of charging apple devices by lightning or 30 pin for the older devices, along with a micro USB capabilities for most other tech toys. This cable is great, especially for anyone on the go that takes multiple devices with them, like a digital camera, tablet, phone, or Bluetooth speaker, the ClossLink Sync & Charge cable is up to the task, priced at $17.95.