wonderwhatif
Member Since: January 26, 2015Reviews
EMAY Portable ECG/EKG Monitor
Note: I am using this with Windows PC and have no heart problems or history of such. My first worry about this portable heart monitor was that it might be difficult to use or get the readings from, but actually, I'm really impressed. It couldn't be... +
Note: I am using this with Windows PC and have no heart problems or history of such.
My first worry about this portable heart monitor was that it might be difficult to use or get the readings from, but actually, I'm really impressed. It couldn't be made any more simple and if you have problems, the question mark (on the corner of the program) and included documents answer anything you can think of. It's easy as pie, which makes it great for those who aren't overly tech-savvy, so it works for all kinds of folks. They even show you how to hold it, listing 4 different methods and detailed, yet simple, instructions to get the reading.
Once you've turned it on, you need only touch electrodes on both sides (as shown in manual) and wait for the reading. At first, I didn't like that it made a beep (it made me anxious), but that can actually be turned off in the settings, which can be accessed from a computer. If I had to pick two small negatives (though really they are extremely minor) it would be that the cable is a USB cable so it can only be charged via computer or a USB plug unless you have an adapter and the cord is quite short.
The computer interface is so easy (see screenshots), but be aware that if you want to send it to your doctor, you must print it or save the files as PDF. It does give very clear instructions on how to do so in the files on the USB stick. The program is small too and won't take up a lot of room on your PC. Reading the results are as simple as downloading them and clicking on them in the program and again, it has clear guides. It's just a great tool for those who have heart conditions or get nervous about developing them. It's a small size too, so easily portable. The device is sleek looking and not unlike a music player, so it doesn't have that scary medical look either.
Basically put, it does everything it promises, in an easy, pain-free and simple manner that will allow everyone and anyone to keep an eye on their heart rate.
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StopShroom The Ultimate Universal Drain Stopper Plug
As a companion to the tub, sink or other 'shrooms' or even just a cover style stopper by itself, the StopShroom works and is easy to use. Basically put it down on top of your sink/bath hole, while the sinkshroom or whatever is in and press down the... +
As a companion to the tub, sink or other 'shrooms' or even just a cover style stopper by itself, the StopShroom works and is easy to use. Basically put it down on top of your sink/bath hole, while the sinkshroom or whatever is in and press down the edges. It works very easily and I barely had to press the edges as the pressure of the water filling up quickly causes it to suction itself down. I tested it by leaving a sink full of water for more than an hour and none of it drained out, so it works! Another plus is that the suction cup (for storage) actually sticks to my tiles, something I usually have trouble with. I was convinced the weight of the StopShroom would pull itself off the tile, but I have to give it praise for the fact that it sticks well. Since the size makes storage kind of a pain, the suction cup is a clever addition.
There are a few things to watch out for. Firstly, if you don't have enough space between the sink/tub 'wall' and your plughole, this might not work for you. I have a pretty small sink and just had enough room for it, but if the curve is too steep or area too small, it won't work, you better make sure there's enough space for this big boy! You can put it off centre a bit, but there needs to be at least an inch and a half, maybe two at the back of your plughole. Secondly, when you pull the Stopshroom off, the suction will suck out the Sink/TubShroom. This is a bit irritating as the whole point of having the StopShroom is to allow you to fill the sink and later drain water while keeping your SinkShroom on. However, it's not a deal breaker as you can quickly shove it back in and it doesn't come out all the way, just something to be aware of.
Looks wise, it's kind of large and ugly, but it does the job and if you have a sinkshroom, but don't want to take it out to fill the sink, this is a must.
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Kano Computer - Build a tablet kit
------------ Set-up ------------ My first attempt at putting together the Kano was a very interesting and educational one, though it did end in a major disappointment. The instructions included are very simple, with large font and lots of... +
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Set-up
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My first attempt at putting together the Kano was a very interesting and educational one, though it did end in a major disappointment. The instructions included are very simple, with large font and lots of illustrations, so even an older child or young teenager could do it alone if they wanted to. For young children, it’s best if they just help an adult put it together. Some of the components are naturally fragile, and would be dangerous to entrust to a young child unsupervised.
The booklet guides you through the steps to put together the tablet, a process which takes maybe 15 minutes. There’s no tools needed, nothing to screw in or glue, and everything can be taken apart again afterwards. It’s mostly a matter of clicking things into place and plugging them in. When you’re done, you just flip the case over and press the power button to turn it on.
This is where my first Kano tablet ran into a big problem: the entire right half of the screen failed. It was completely blank, and after some testing I found that it was a damaged part and not an issue of how it was put together. I contacted Kano and they were very helpful, sending me out a replacement which arrived quickly. On the second attempt my Kano tablet worked perfectly with no problems. Due to how on the ball customer service was, I won't remove a star, but obviously it would have been better if it worked immediately!
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AS A TABLET
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If your child is used to using a brand new iPad for their usual browsing, the Kano will probably feel a bit slower by comparison. It’s not a bad tablet by any means, but it’s not designed to compete with the latest and most expensive gadgets. It covers the basics well: YouTube, web browsing, some games, those all run fine. I wouldn’t throw out my current tablet and start using the Kano for everything, but given it comes with a sturdy case and a built-in stand, it’s a great option for kids who want a tablet.
One thing that I do find very useful is that the case also holds your wireless keyboard. Being able to clip it in to the back of the case makes for easy transportation, but sadly there’s no such place for your charger to attach if you’re on the go. The battery can last several hours without charging, but personally, I found it easier to keep it plugged in whenever possible.
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CODING
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I was skeptical at first when I started to explore how the Kano tablet could teach coding to kids of various ages. It’s not easy to introduce a wide age group of kids to a concept like coding without making it either too easy or too difficult, and keeping it fun and interesting on top of that. I’m pleased to say that I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.
The best example of how the coding is taught piece by piece to users is in the Story Mode. It’s a surprisingly long game that covers a variety of miniature coding lessons spread out over a very basic RPG-style world. You navigate around the world talking to NPCs in a fictional map which is clearly modeled after your tablet (areas named after USB ports, Logic Lake, etc.). You accept little challenges from different NPCs and perform tasks that are basic introductions to other functions you can find on the tablet, such as Make Pong, Make Snake, and the star of the show, Hack Minecraft.
There is a lot to cover in some of these coding challenges, but it’s approached in a very intelligent way. Users are introduced to different things slowly, such as dragging and dropping blocks that lock together to tie functions to one another, or learning to code basic things like how to change the size of the ball in a game of Pong. The challenge can ramp up over time, but generally this remains a basic, easy to digest introduction to things like logic, Python, and Javascript among others.
As I mentioned above, the breakout hit, in my opinion, is Hack Minecraft. This is an official version of the original game created by the developers to help kids learn basic coding in an environment that they will find entertaining. The in-game tutorial is slow enough to be easy to follow, but keeps things interesting by quickly teaching you how to do things like create stacks of dynamite and spell your name in diamond.
To be clear, you can’t expect anyone to become a master coder just by trying these games and challenges, but they go a long way to teaching the basics and encouraging a better understanding of how coding works. For kids especially I think this is a great tool to encourage an interest in coding and technology, but even as an adult I had fun and learned a lot.
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CONCLUSION
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The Kano tablet is expensive when compared to similar tablets, but you get a great experience for the price, and a teaching tool that is great for kids. Putting together their own tablet and then learning how to code is a great opportunity into any kid interested in this kind of thing, so I think it’s worth the price. I wouldn't hesitate to buy this again, as a gift or a similar product in the future!
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My Little Pony Singing Rainbow Dash
This My Little Pony Toy is probably a great gift for someone who is a fan of the show, but personally, I found it a bit underwhelming. Maybe I was expecting too much of it for the price, but it really only has two functions, and it’s not the most... +
This My Little Pony Toy is probably a great gift for someone who is a fan of the show, but personally, I found it a bit underwhelming. Maybe I was expecting too much of it for the price, but it really only has two functions, and it’s not the most well-made toy either. The mane on the toy I received was not nearly as nice as the photo on the box, being much more frayed and limp. The toy itself is quite hard plastic, which I didn't mind, but I'd have liked the mane to be less cheap. There was a lot of different length 'straggly' hairs that didn't look great.
The toy does two things: it plays five songs, and it allows you to sing along with the microphone. The songs are very impressive, each of them is quite long and they’re fun to listen to. You cycle through them by pressing the button on the leg, or by raising and lowering the sunglasses. Oddly the button and the sunglasses seem to accomplish the exact same thing, except the glasses have a phrase before the song.
The microphone you use to sing along is small enough for a child to hold, but sadly the quality of your voice coming out of the speaking is not great. It’s barely audible even with the music turned off, and with the music on you can’t hear yourself at all. Singing along to the songs is not as much fun when you can’t even hear yourself, and it’s a real shame because the toy even comes with lyrics for each song to make it easy to sing along.
Overall the idea of this toy is great, but the execution is pretty weak. The songs are fun but the toy itself doesn’t look great and it’s hard to sing along when you can’t hear yourself all. I just wish it had a little more going for it.
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CUISINART 12 Piece Color Knife Set with Blade Guards
I'm on a tight budget, so our knives are extremely cheap, I bought these because we badly need an upgrade and I was shocked to see such a great company do such a reasonably priced set of knives. I also love the colours and feel it adds a touch of... +
I'm on a tight budget, so our knives are extremely cheap, I bought these because we badly need an upgrade and I was shocked to see such a great company do such a reasonably priced set of knives. I also love the colours and feel it adds a touch of whimsy and coolness to the kitchen. They would also look amazing on a magnetic knife strip!
Because of the low price, I was concerned these knives wouldn't be great, but after using them for over a week I can say that they are fantastic. They cut so easily, with no drag or excess pressure needed. There's a good range (although I wouldn't say no to a mid-size knife between the two size points) and the colours/knives look great in person.
Furthermore, they have a lifetime guarantee, so if the handles break off or the quality causes it to break in some way, they will be replaced. I can't really ask for more than that!
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Sinkshroom
Considering how much buzz this product has had, I was a little surprised to find so many flaws. My former job is QA and as a result, I feel the need to point out any and all problems, you never know what might bother somebody. For me, the biggest... +
Considering how much buzz this product has had, I was a little surprised to find so many flaws. My former job is QA and as a result, I feel the need to point out any and all problems, you never know what might bother somebody.
For me, the biggest problem and one that's most likely to bother somebody is that when this is in your sink, it won't drain fast enough if you have a strong water flow. If I leave the water running at all (even while brushing my teeth) it fills up a little and the more it fills up, the faster it fills up. As a result of this, my partner has already lifted it out of the sink several times, so I'm not sure if we'll continue to use it. It also has the unfortunate side effect of meaning you'll have water swirling with gunk, soap or toothpaste, draining slowly out. This will mean your sink gets more scummy and that can really bother some people.
It's a shame because other than that, it does what it promises. It catches the hair, though I did find it was a little hard to clean off and I'd definitely recommend leaving it longer (the more hair, the easier to clean, in my opinion) and you really can't beat the simple installation. Literally just push it in the drain until it touches the fins. BAM, done. So simple even I could do it and I'm a notorious DIY mess-up.
The other plus of this is the look, they really got it spot on and it's chic, stainless steel perfection. It actually looks better than my open plug-hole, so that's awesome. There's only one other minor complaint and that's that you cannot fill the sink/put in the stopper while it's in. That means you need to remove this, put in the stopper, fill it up and then all the stuff goes down the drain. To correct this, the Shroom people offer another product 'Stopshroom' which essentially replaces your sink stopper. However, that's another 12 bucks and it should be included with the product. Keep this in mind if that will bother you.
The SinkShroom has ups and downs, but overall I gave it four stars because it does what it promises, buyers should definitely be aware of the points made above though.
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Burt's Bees Conditioning Lip Scrub
I used both the Intensive Overnight Treatment and the Lip scrub and while I definitely liked the treatment more than the Lip Scrub, both were good and worked well with each other. Let's talk about the Scrub first. My main problem with the Scrub is... +
I used both the Intensive Overnight Treatment and the Lip scrub and while I definitely liked the treatment more than the Lip Scrub, both were good and worked well with each other. Let's talk about the Scrub first.
My main problem with the Scrub is I felt like it couldn't really tackle my dry skin as well as I needed. I have famously damaged, texture lips (from years of biting them, I've since stopped but the damage remains) and I feel like it's possible I need a heavier duty scrub, so it might work better for those with less damaged lips. For me, it started to take off the dry skin, but only half and then it became attached on one side and had to be painfully pulled off. I'd expect the scrub to help take it off. I'd recommend it for those with already nice lips, who want to keep them in tip-top condition, but it's not a miracle worker.
The scent of the scrub is pleasant and the overall feeling isn't too rough (like a soft sugar scrub), but I do feel like it felt behind a kind of oily sticky feeling. I'd rate this 3 stars, but do recommend it when immediately followed up by the overnight lip treatment.
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Burt's Bees intensive overnight lip treatment
The Overnight treatment I quite liked. I found it had a similar effect as heavy duty lip repair products, but I really preferred the feeling of this. Though it felt quite gloopy on my finger, when applied to the lips it didn't have that sticky or... +
The Overnight treatment I quite liked. I found it had a similar effect as heavy duty lip repair products, but I really preferred the feeling of this. Though it felt quite gloopy on my finger, when applied to the lips it didn't have that sticky or uncomfortable feeling many lip treatments have, so I found it a lot easier to wear while sleeping. I also found hairs didn't stick to my lips, an ongoing problem I face when trying to sleep at night, since I live in a house with cats.
The scent is pleasant, not too strong and it doesn't have a strange taste. My lips didn't look perfect after one application, but after three days they were looking much better, so I was happy with it.
One thing that drove me nuts was the package design. I tried multiple lip products. The products are quite small and come in the same tiny tubs, with the exact same design. The products are also similarly coloured and very difficult to tell apart. I keep all my lip stuff together (and if I kept them apart I'd still forget which was which) and especially when sleepy I ended up accidentally applying lip scrub, rather than overnight treatment, more than once. You can flip them over to read the tiny text and figure out which is which, but it really could use improvement. My recommendation to Burts Bees would be to change the lid colours of one of these products, making it easy to tell them apart.
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Nerf Laser Ops Pro AlphaPoint
Having recently tried a few AR style games/toys, I can without hesitation say that this is what AR should be. Nerf has hit it out of the park with this one and given the lower price, I'd be happy to purchase this again! If you want to access the... +
Having recently tried a few AR style games/toys, I can without hesitation say that this is what AR should be. Nerf has hit it out of the park with this one and given the lower price, I'd be happy to purchase this again!
If you want to access the multiplayer capability, you must buy two of these (it'd be cool if they were sold in a set), but there is still a single player mode and you can also use it as a regular gun toy with lights and sounds. You should note that it does NOT fire like a normal NERF gun, it is for use as a set (with or without app), or with the app in single player only, but it can always be used as an imaginative/prop toy for sci-fi pretend time!
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Multiplayer
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Unfortunately, as I only have one, I can't comment much on the multiplayer. As I understand it, you can either do a laser tag style showdown, without the app. Alternatively, you can use the app and play a game with the armbands and two people, you'll need two armbands, two guns and two phones. The only downside of this is worry about your phone being protected. The reality is that the slightly jelly-like armband wraps really well around the phone and creates a 'bumper' so the chance of damage to your phone is slim. It's not going to fall out, but it's definitely possible for somebody to dive, wearing the armband and hit a jutting out rock or something which could hurt your screen. With a screen protector and a case, there's really nothing to worry about.
Laster tag is a lot of fun and I can definitely see that the multiplayer modes would be a blast, but did not get to personally try them. One thing that's a little annoying is the app is only available until JUNE 30, 2020. However, unlike other AR toys I've tried, this has capability without the app, both in Multiplayer and solo.
The gun's can also be adjusted to both outdoor and indoor play.
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Solo Play
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In terms of solo play, you really have to play with the app. If you only have one gun and the app goes away, you just have a prop gun. So that's a little sad. But this product is priced low enough that it's not a deal-breaker and if you have a second gun, you'll always be able to play laser tag, if I'm understanding correctly.
The solo play requires you to attach the armband onto the gun mount. The explanations are clear and easy to follow for once. Then you just follow the instructions and play the game. This is a very fun/clever AR game, if a little repetitive. Kids won't get bored of it as fast as an adult does, but it's a very straightforward shooter. Basically 'drone' style enemies appear. Since there's no 'targets' they appear all over the room, requiring turning and moving the gun to get a shot. Through in the need to 'reload' every so often and it's pretty hectic and a good way to run down kid's energy or get an unfit adult some exercise. As the game gets longer more drones - that need more shots to destroy - keep the pressure on.
Since the phone is accessible at all times, you can easily tap it to do upgrades and other things between levels. It's cleverly designed and easy to use. Frankly, it's also super fun to see the little drones zip around your living room (or garden if you so desire).
You can also pull the trigger on the gun to make sounds effects occur and use it for pretend play.
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SUMMARY
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Pros
+ Play is possible without app in multiplayer modes
+ Can be used as a prop with sound effects and light
+ Design is cool and sounds are fun too!
+ Multiplayer is like laser tag, very fun.
+ Can be played outdoors or indoors.
+ Solo app mode is clever, fun and can be played easily.
+ Solo app moder gets kids exercise/requires a lot of movement.
+ Lots of different ways to play.
+ Easy to setup/use.
Cons
- App is only available until JUNE 30, 2020
- Doesn't come with batteries (requires 4xAAA)
Info:
- Single player requires app.
- Requires two guns to play multiplayer.
- Age 8+
- Some might be nervous about using a phone with it.
Recommended: Yes. Especially if you get it on the lower price. It's a lot of fun, but I'd recommend buying two to access the multiplayer features!
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Play Doh Fundamentals Box
This is the perfect set of beginner's Play-Doh for kids who have never owned Play-Doh or have an extremely basic collection that they'd like to add to. I only have one minor complaint which is that there really isn't any guidance for some pieces... +
This is the perfect set of beginner's Play-Doh for kids who have never owned Play-Doh or have an extremely basic collection that they'd like to add to.
I only have one minor complaint which is that there really isn't any guidance for some pieces. For example, I had to come check the pictures to figure out what to do with some of the loose pieces. They turned out to be part of a rolling pin set. The extruder too, was pretty self explanatory, but some people get confused easily and would surely welcome a brief description or set of instructions. If you want to play with your kids or show them how to use these, you need to know how. I still don't understand why the man and woman molds have a hole in them (perhaps to push out the doh...or not?). Although actually, another minor complaint is that the 'mats' included could definitely be a bit bigger and more plasticky. Play-Doh does smear on them, but can be removed by sticking to more Play-Doh, but I feel like using the cutting tools on them leaves too many marks and I wish they had more of a 'wipe-clean' surface as opposed to slightly plasticky cardboard.
I also wish a cleaning tool was provided, which is my common complaint when it comes to Play-Doh!
However, what it really comes down to is here you get a ton of stuff. A whole bunch of cutters, rollers, extruders and more. You also get some mini-tubs of colours to start your collection. Overall, it's just a really well-rounded and fun set and despite my (again minor) complaints, you really can't go wrong with this!
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