YouTube Video Reviews

Video Review: DOKPAV iPhone Screen Protector + Giveaway!

April 5, 2016 / Dave Taylor / YouTube Video Reviews / 5 Comments

It never fails to amaze me how people buy $600+ smartphones and then don’t spend the extra few dollars to protect it and make sure it’ll survive the rigors of daily life. A good case is a good idea, but I can almost understand people preferring to enjoy the thinness of their new device or gadget, but a screen protector? That’s a must. In fact, as you go through your day today, look around you closely and you’ll see just how many smartphone owners put up with damaged screens, sometimes dramatically cracked screens.

That’s just poor thinking, particularly when there are splendid tempered glass screen protectors like the DOKPAV tempered glass screen protector for the Apple iPhone 6 and 6s for under $10 on Amazon, shipping included.

And don’t think that they’re impossible to put on properly either, with just a little bit of patience and some thoroughly clean hands, you can pull the DOKPAV unit off its protective packaging and lay it on the front of your iPhone 6s with surprising ease, as I demonstrate in this how-to video:

Here’s the best part, though: Not only are these remarkably affordable, but I’m going to give two away between now and May 1, 2016. All you have to do is leave a comment below talking about one of those cracked cellphone screens you saw recently.

Winners will be randomly picked from the entrants by rolling dice. Your odds of winning are, um, I have no idea. Probably pretty darn good.

Oh, and did I mention these are absolutely must-have items for any smartphone owned by a teen? Yeah, I went there. 🙂

DOKPAV tempered glass screen protector for Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s: $7.99 at Amazon.com.

Video Review: Sudio Sweden VASA earbuds

April 4, 2016 / Dave Taylor / YouTube Video Reviews / No Comments

Earbuds. You get a pair with every smartphone you purchase, but it turns out that there’s a lot of design innovation in the market that you’ll never know about if you just stick with the generics. Enter the slick VASA earbuds from Sudio Sweden.

Let’s be candid, though. Earbuds are one of the most utilitarian accessories of the digital age, ranging in price from free to $100 or more. Surprisingly, most people have no idea that you can upgrade from what’s included with your HTC, LG, Samsung or Apple device and when they think about an upgrade to their private listening, it’s headphones that they think about, Beats, Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, or any of dozens of other brands and headphone companies.

It turns out that there are some splendid earbuds on the market, however, and one of the best designed I’ve seen are from Sudio Sweden, called the VASA. They have great attention to detail, as I explain in my video review:

What’s even more cool is that Sudio Sweden has extended a discount for all you loyal AskDaveTaylor readers: If you want to pick up some of these VASA earbuds, use discount code “davetaylor15” to save 15%, which is a pretty sweet deal!

Learn more about the VASA earbuds from Sudio Sweden. $90.00 (minus 15% if you use the discount code).

Video Review: UB+ Eupho Bluetooth Portable Speakers

March 22, 2016 / Dave Taylor / YouTube Video Reviews / No Comments

Most of the time the trade-off is obvious: small speakers = small sound, and big speakers = big sound. But not always, because audio engineers are always coming up with new tricks and techniques to surprise customers, offering big sound in a little unit. Then there are the big speakers that don’t really offer much sound at all, and seem to be big because crafty sales teams believe that bigger units can command higher prices and therefore higher profits.

Into this muddy water comes the tiny UB+ Eupho speaker system, featuring speakers smaller than a can of soda that have surprisingly big, rich sound and rather remarkable bass, particularly for such a tiny unit. Better yet, get two and you can connect them with an included wire to instantly give you stereo sound at a fraction of the cost of larger units, making the Eupho a very good choice for gamers, dorm room denizens and other people who have to be very careful of their space but still want good music!

Things aren’t all rosy, however, as I explain in my video review:

Learn more about the UB+ Eupho speakers at ub-plus.com, or pick up one (or two!) for $43.90 per speaker at Amazon.com.

Video Review: Canary Home Security System

March 21, 2016 / Dave Taylor / YouTube Video Reviews / No Comments

There are complicated home and office security systems that involve days of installation, professional monitoring and expensive gear, but the last few years have seen the rise of smaller and far less complicated systems that offer much of the same functionality but without the hefty pricetag. In fact, smart software and modern sensors have produced security systems that can fit into your backpack, leaving you room left over for that hefty new printing of War and Peace too.

One of the best of this new breed is the slick and well-designed Canary Home Security System, comprised of a motion sensitive video camera and software for your smartphone. That’s basically it, and with it you can monitor your home or office from across the country or around the world, getting real-time video snippets of any activity and being able to trigger an alarm remotely or call local authorities to respond to dangerous activities.

I demonstrate and explain in my video review of the Canary system:

You can learn more about the Canary Home Security System at canary.is. Unit is $199 as shown.

Video Review: Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7 Headphones

March 17, 2016 / Dave Taylor / YouTube Video Reviews / No Comments

If you’ve only used earbuds you really are missing out on the full range of sound from your smartphone, computer, tablet or other device. It’s easy to think convenience is all that matters, but even neophyte listeners will immediately fall in love with the latest headphones from Audio-Technica, the ATH-MSR7. With their lush, rich and full sound, light weight, comfort and handy set of different cables, they’re a top pick for just about every use.

I explain more about why the ATH-MSR7 are such nice headphones, and at least one of my reasons might just surprise you:

I have a lot of headphones, and these have rocketed right up to the shortlist of those I use on a daily basis, they’re that good.

Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7, $249.99 at Amazon.com. Learn more at Audio-Technica.com too.

Video Review: Toast real wood iPad Mini case

March 15, 2016 / Dave Taylor / YouTube Video Reviews / No Comments

We live in a world of metals and plastics with modern consumer electronics. Even the wood finishes we see on high-end speakers and the like tend to be stickers or veneers, so you rarely get the aesthetic pleasure of working with actual wood. Fortunately Toast has figured out how to meld the two with its line of beautiful, rich wooden device covers.

They sent us the Toast wood cover for the iPad Mini in the walnut finish, and while I had a bit of trepidation installing it due to anxiety that I might crack it, the install went great and the end result is lovely, as I highlight in this video:

The installation went great, my iPad Mini looks oh, so styling, as you can see in the image above, and I now get to enjoy the warm feel of a real walnut back rather than the cold metal of the iPad itself. And they have covers for a remarkably wide variety of different devices too, well worth checking out.

Toast wood case and faceplate for the iPad Mini, $39 + $15, available at Toastmade.com.

Video Review: ZUS Smart USB Car Charger

March 7, 2016 / Dave Taylor / YouTube Video Reviews / No Comments

Next time you’re in your car, have a close look at the USB charger you have for your smartphone, watch, tablet, and other devices. Does it just push out 1 amp of power with one connector or does it at least offer a bit more amperage to let you charge your devices faster? If your USB is built into your car, of course, then you’re really probably stuck because there’s no way to upgrade it and while it’s useful to have it hooked up to the car stereo, a slow multi-hour charge time is often not particularly useful.

Enter the slick, elegantly designed ZUS smart USB car charger, with its dual charging ports that can detect what you’ve plugged in and charge it as fast as possible. But there’s more to the ZUS, as I explain in my video review:

I will note that as you can see, it was the most uncomfortable review I’ve ever recorded. Guess I just need an even bigger vehicle!

More seriously, the ZUS really is beautifully engineered and it has quickly become my USB car charger of choice, even moving into rentals and other cars when I travel. It’s that good.

And being able to find my car even when I otherwise am a bit fuzzy about where it is in the parking lot? That’s just a great bonus!

ZUS Smart USB Car Charger and Car Finder, $35.99 at Amazon.com. You can also learn more about to find out more about ZUS Car Charger and Car Finder by visiting the Nonda Web site.

Disclosure: Nonda sent us one of the ZUS chargers for the purpose of this review. We’re also using an affiliate link for Amazon. It all helps pay the bills and keep the lights on…

Video Review: Cobra DSP 9200 BT Radar Detector

February 24, 2016 / Dave Taylor / YouTube Video Reviews / No Comments

I’m a safe driver and have long since learned the benefit of cruise control, particularly for longer drives. Otherwise it’s all too easy to have your foot gradually get heavier and heavier on that gas pedal and before you know it, you’re going 15-20 mph over the speed limit. Then a cop shows up with a radar gun, or you blow past a stationary photo radar system, and your wallet is magically quite a bit lighter as you get a dreaded speeding ticket. And some of those can be really, really expensive.

I don’t encourage people to speed or otherwise break the law, of course, but when it’s the open road and you can see miles ahead, why not bump your speed up a bit, confident in the radar detector stuck to your front windshield and tis ability to warn you well in advance of any police hiding behind a sign, trying to catch you going too fast?

Enter the brand new, incredibly sophisticated Cobra DSP 9200 BT digital radar detector, a device so sophisticated it needs your smartphone to offer up every one of its remarkable range of features. Even better, it makes you part of the iRadar community too, as I explain in this video review:

The Cobra DSP 9200 BT, $354.10 at Amazon.com. Because a speeding ticket really is an expensive gift from law enforcement…

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