An accessory to dim bright LED lights!

I love LED’s, except when I’m trying to sleep. LED’s seem to get brighter as you shut off the lights. For years I’ve been covering them with tissues to cut the glare. Recently I fouund an inexpensive solution calledLightdims. LightDims are small vinyl dots that cover the LED’s on gadgets and knock the glare way down. In about a minute I tamed four LED’s that annoyed me at night. The company even make ‘black out’ LightDims if you don’t want to see the LED at all. And they make large size LightDims if you want to darken a large LED display, like on the face of a clock. They’re an easy way to keep your electronics looking techie, while also performing a valuable function. The cheapest route to go is to get their 4 pack. The package includes Original Strength (Color Black) Dims 50- 80% of light -Black Out Edition (Color Black) Blocks 100% of light -Customizable Original Strength 9.5" Solid sheet, (Color Black) Dims 50-80% of light -Silver Edition (Color Silver metallic) Dims 80-90% of light designed to blend with aluminum metallic electronics like apple products. And there’s a 4-pack version you can buy which slips with no product label and the absence of some product information. That seems to be the most economical way to go. It’s what I bought. You get all four LightDims for $13.99 plus 99 cents shipping. You can find individual products for about $4.99 each on Amazon too, but with the four pack you get all their products so you can choose what works best for each bright problem LED. 

UPDATE: 9/6/2014 - I just learned from LightDims that there is now a 5th variation. White LightDims for those who have white radios, devices, etc. and need to tone down the LED brightness on them.

Lightdims TV ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TZ7uS93mSo 

Charge! Like, really, really, fast!

The folks at UNU know that and created the Ultrapak to maximize the limited amount of time available to keep their electronic gear up and running. The conventional way of dealing with a low battery is to plug the phone into a wall. In 15 minutes an iPhone 5 will have 9% power, and a conventional AC charger will have 11% power. With the UNU Ultrapak, 15 minutes charges it up to 75% power, enough to power your phone for the day. Go about your business with your Ultrapak plugged into the phone and let the phone charge normally, away from AC power. UNU says their Ultra-X battery packs collect energy at record speeds –up to 8X faster than conventional recharging methods. To achieve such charging speeds, Ultra-X deploys a much stronger charging input, rated at 31.25W. This means that within approx 15 minutes the Ultrapak has stored the equivalent of a full iPhone 5 battery. I drained the battery on the Ultrapak Go to zero, then plugged it into AC power. Using a stopwatch, the Ultrapak Go was up to 76% power in 15 minutes. Pretty amazing. It takes less than another 15 minutes to fully charge it 100%. UNU says traditional charging methods serialize all battery cells and charge them one at a time. Their Ultra-X charges several battery cells in a parallel sequence, utilizing the highest power possible. An IC chip is deployed to monitor the charging process of multiple cells simultaneously to ensure safe heat levels. Be aware that the Ultrapak does not increase the charging rate of the device it's charging. The increased charging rates happen when charging the Ultrapak. Unu large unit is the Ultrapak Tour ($99.99) It's a 10,000mAh with two charging ports. (The smaller one is the Ultrapak Go ($59.99) 3,000mAh ultra-portable w/ one charging port. They’re available on the UNU site, but last time I checked they on back order until Sept. 20th, 2014. Same on Amazon, available late September, 2014. 

Company Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHEo2RmYR3o&list=UUqyGHQOJXhi_AqfissH9S3A

Company website: http://www.myunu.com/ultrapak-go-battery-pack.html

Read My Mask!

Here’s a totally unique take on the sleeping mask. It’s called Total Eclipse. It not only offers you instant total darkness, but it offers you a whiteboard on front to leave a message for anyone to read as you sleep! The Patent Pending white erasable writing surface comes with it own dry erase marker with an eraser integrated into the cap. I wish I had a Total Eclipse for those times when I wanted to sleep on an airplane, but didn’t want to miss the meal. Just write “please wake me for food” and doze off. The company says other features include comfort foam that conforms and contours to your face for a perfect fit, eye cutouts to eliminate pressure on eyes, and a fully adjustable elastic strap with integrated earplug storage. And don’t worry - it ships with free earplugs. Storage slots for the earplugs right on the mask is great, since finding earplugs in your carry-on is always a hassle. Other potential messages to write on your Total Eclipse Mask: "Please leave food on tray". "Please wake up for Main Street stop". "Do not disturb". Or even “Honey, I’m sleeping, but dinner’s in the oven”.  It’s $24.95 on Amazon it’s Amazon Prime, so free shipping if you’re a Prime member. 

Company website: http://www.bestsleepingmask.com/

Company video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L5CjYNfJXE

(mini) Lights, Camera, Action!

Need more light for a project, but don't want to carry a lot of gear? iblazr is a powerful, portable flash and light solution for smartphone and tablet cameras that struggle in low light situations. The iblazrfully synchronized flash apps work with smartphones and tablets that support iOS 7 (iPhone 4 and higher, iPad 2 and higher, Android 4.0 and higher. The most popular smartphones like Samsung Galaxy S series have received more attention from the iblazr app development team so you will find better synchronization. It connects via the audio jack of your compatible device. I did find I had to insert the iBlazr several times into my Galaxy 5 for it to make proper contact. It’s because the water resistant jack is slightly different on the Galaxy 5 than the Galaxy 4, where it worked perfectly. Theiblazr’s flash features four hi-end CREE LEDs that provides great adjustable lighting with 60-degree optics for a softer look on subjects. Additionally, the company says that the position of the iblazr cuts out red-eye or white-eye. There’s a built-in, rechargeable 200mAh battery, so the device won’t drain your smart device’s battery. It allows more than 500 flashes on a single charge or up to 40 minutes in full power and constant light mode which is ideal for taking videos. Theiblazr free Android and iOS app lets you adjust various settings, including the intensity of the light. It ships with unique multifunctional USB charger.  It can be used as light source for macro shots, a light for your keyboard, or even as a compact lamp by connecting the iBlazr to your charger and using the included mini-stand. The stand is also a cold shoe mount, so the light can be mounted directly to a camera that has a standard shoe mount. A diffuser is also included.Available in black or white for $49.99 at

http://bitemyapple.myshopify.com/products/iblazr

Giz Wiz Video: http://youtu.be/hIFrWPYWBLc

Invite the BBQ Dragon to your next BBQ.

I usually try each gadget I talk about on The Giz Wiz. But not having a BBQ, and living in the middle of New York City, I wasn't able to personally use the BBQ Dragon. However, according to Amazon, it's one of 2014's biggest summer sellers and it's getting great reviews. The company says their BBQ Dragon can start charcoal grills in under 10 minutes! No more fanning your fire with a plate or newspaper. No more waiting up to 45 minutes for the grill to be ready. This device starts a charcoal grill faster than chimneys, electric starters, or even chemical starters! It works by blowing large amounts of low-velocity, cool air at the fire. It's battery-powered, hands-free and micro-USB rechargeable (if you're using rechargeable batteries.) The variable speed motor allows you to infinitely control the amount of air, and thus oxygen, delivered to a fire. This enables fast fire starting, as well as perfect temperature control for grilling. The stainless steel body stays cool and stands up to tough use. A versatile heavy-duty spring-loaded clamp opens wide and attaches to anything - grills, fire pits, fireplaces, and smokers. You can buy a rechargeable battery kit at the company website for $29.99 which will let you charge it via AC, cigarette lighter or USB. BBQ Dragon is $59.99 with free shipping at the company website. As of 8/2/14, the cheapest place I found to order one is Amazon, where it’s under $50. And it's Amazon Prime, so free shipping if you're a Prime member.

More info, company website: www.bbqdragon.com 

BBQ Dragon company video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNrqBx850AU