Physbam

Measuring your baby’s temperature is something that you have to do often. Understandably the quicker you can do this the less hassle there is for you.

In steps the Braun ThermoScan, an in-ear thermometer that allows you to record your baby’s temperature – or even your own at the press of a button. The days of relying on mercury in your mouth are long gone.

In-use the ThermoScan is incredibly simplye. Turn it on, shove it in your (replace with whoever’s temperature you are recording) ear and 3 seconds later you are given the temperature. In fact it was so quick that we had to double check the instructions to make sure it had worked and we had pressed the right button.

With hygiene at the forefront of most people’s minds, worried parents will be pleased to know the unit ships with plastic caps to cover the sensor, and in actual fact, the device won’t work unless you’ve got one of these in place – don’t panic the unit ships with 12 in the box.

Those battling an illness can opt to use the units memory feature and this allows you to store the last 6 temperature readings so you can monitor progress without having to write it down on a chart and make your bedroom resemble a hospital ward. The unit is powered by two AA batteries.

Verdict

The ThermoScan is so easy to use that at one point we doubted whether it had worked.

Where this gadget succeeds however is the ease in which we were able to take a temperature of our test baby. Kindly loaned to us for the purpose of this review.

You may baulk at the £50 price tag, but if our tests are anything to go by this should be a must have for any parent needing to monitor anyone’s health, let alone their baby’s.

Top marks!

The Escali P115 is a digital kitchen scale perfect to use when you need to measure ingredients for recipes. With only two buttons, this scale is very easy to operate. You can find the Escali P115 for an average price of $25. Let’s take a look at some of the features
offered by this digital kitchen scale.

The Escali P115 kitchen scale can measure weight up to 11 pounds of 5 kilograms. It is capable of providing measurements in both ounces and grams. The Escali P115 also has a resolution of 1 gram or 0.1 ounce. This allows the scale to provide accurate measurements.

The Escali P115 also has a tare feature. This feature allows you to measure contents in a container by subtracting the weight of the container. This is great when you need to measure items that are in a bowl.

This digital kitchen scale comes in a wide array of colors. This allows you to choose the perfect color to match the decor of your kitchen. Some of the available colors for the Escali P115 kitchen scale include white, silver, orange, lime, and pink. There are a total of 11 colors that you can choose from.

You will also like how compact the Escali P115 digital scale is. It only measures 8 x 6 x 1.25 inches and weighs two pounds. This allows you to store or transport the unit easily. The Escali P115 can operate using only two AA batteries. The batteries are included in the package so you don’t have to buy them on your own. The scale will also shut off automatically whenever it isn’t used for a specified amount of time. This will help the batteries last much longer.

The Escali P115 digital kitchen scale is very easy to clean. The scale has a spill-proof design so you don’t have to worry about getting your countertops messy. Escali also backs the P115 with a five-year limited warranty.

If you need a digital scale for your kitchen, then you should take a look at the Escali P115. The unit can measure up to 11 pounds of 5 kilograms, with measurements provided in both ounces and grams. The Escali P115 also comes in 11 different colors so that you can match it with the decor in your kitchen. It also has a tare feature so that you can measure contents in a container.

Globaltop HG-100 Bluetooth HUD GPS Speedometer

It has been a while since a bluetooth GPS truly brought a new feature to the table. So when I first saw Globaltop’s HG-100 at CeBIT in Hannover back in March it immediately caught my eye.

Although unremarkable as a GPS it offers one new function never before seen, a Head Up Display (HUD) speedometer and the demonstration model, set up in a small briefcase with an angled pane of glass representing the windscreen gave a good example of how this would be seen by the driver. It is also a standard bluetooth GPS of course and as it contains a rechargeable battery it can be used away from the vehicle to provide GPS location information to a laptop, Pocket or Smart phone.

Now my car is an Australian Spec vehicle and as such the speedometer is in KMH (no inner MPH Scale like we get here) so the opportunity to have a nice clear speedometer readout in MPH was one not to be missed and I must confess that being a gadget obsessive had some bearing on it too so I requested a review sample as soon as production units were available.

What’s In The Box?

Open the box and you’ll find everything you need and a few extras that you may not immediately recognise.

A. User Manual on CD
B. Hardware Quick Installation Guide
C. Two pieces of window film
D. Double side sticker
E. Mounting Plate
F. HG-100 GPS HUD
G. Car Charger

To enable the HUD display to focus on the windscreen and to improve contrast a sheet of tinted window film needs to be applied to the inside of the screen at the location that you choose to mount the HUD GPS. Globaltop helpfully supply two pieces because if you’re like me you’ll rush the first installation and bodge the application of the film! If you follow the very thorough installation guide you’ll get a great result, I did the second time around!

Globaltop also supply a mounting plate and adhesive pad. The base of the HG-100 contains a magnet and once the mounting plate has been stuck to the dash it can be installed and removed very quickly and more importantly will not slide across the dash.

Also supplied is a comprehensive printed installation guide, it’s nice to see a printed guide here, whilst I can just about accept an electronic manual, for this device with the added complexity of the installation a printed guide is very welcome, just take my advice and read it first!

MediaTek Chipset

The SiRFStarIII Chipset has been discussed in depth many times but Mediatek (MTK) are fast becoming a viable competitor with their latest chipset’s being equally capable and more importantly cheaper for the manufacturers to implement.

In use it was difficult to tell this MTK chipset apart from a SiRFStarIII unit I was testing. It did occasionally take a few seconds more to acquire on a cold or warm start but hot starts were immediate. I’m told that the MTK chipset is also less prone to multi path errors than SiRFIII but have not had the opportunity to test and verify this.

HUD Technology

For those of you who don’t know, it might be worth a short explanation of what a Head Up display (HUD) actually does. Previously only seen in jet fighters and a few top end BMW’s, a HUD allows you to keep your eyes pointed where they should be, through the windscreen, whilst still supplying essential information.

The technology that enables this in a jet fighter is naturally vastly more complicated involving a complicated arrangement of optics and projectors that presents the data such that to the pilot it appears to ‘float’ in mid air focused at infinity so that hid eyes don’t need to re-adjust to read the data.

Such technology is expensive and of course impossible to implement in a portable after market solution such as that reviewed here but Globaltop have done a great job of ensuring the fundamentals work. The LED display on the top of the unit is reversed and when placed on top of the dash at the base of the windscreen you can see the speed display in the windscreen. It also appears to float but the distance it appears to be outside the screen is dependent on the distance the unit is from the glass itself and so the effect will vary from car to car.

Design

The HUD functionality has had a large bearing on the design here with a large LED display on the top and the internal GPS antenna to the right.

1. Compass
2. Light Sensor
3. Speed Display
4. KPH/MPH Indicator

5. Function Switch (used to set speed units and speed alert)
6. Power socket
7. Power ON/OFF Switch

Status LEDs
Red LED GPS Status
Green LED Power Status
Blue LED Bluetooth Status

Magnet Location

The HG-100 has two distinct modes, in-car HUD/Bluetooth GPS and Bluetooth GPS only. The HUD/Bluetooth mode requires external power to function and so can only practically be used in-car when connected to 12v using the supplied power adapter. The HG-100 has an internal non-user replaceable battery and this will power the unit when in Bluetooth GPS mode.

To the left of the speed readout the HG-100 also has a rudimentary compass display which indicates N, E, S & W as well as intermediate points. To the right is a small M or K to indicate MPH or KMH.

A nice feature is the speed alert function. You can easily configure a maximum speed and when this is exceeded the speed readout flashes to alert you.

Installation

The first thing you need to do is experiment with the positioning of the unit, ideally it should be directly ahead of the driver and low enough that the display is ‘on the bonnet’ rather than higher up where it might obstruct your view of the road.

The most crucial part of the installation process here is the application of the tinted window film itself. The simplest and best method of installation is that explained in the installation guide and one which professionals have always used to apply decals. You simply apply a very week solution of water and washing up liquid to the sticky side of the file and the window using an atomiser or spray. Then slide the film into place and when happy with them location use a squeegee or the back of a credit card to remove the water and bubbles. Once done the film will be stuck fast and most importantly air bubble free.

In Use

Press the power button for two seconds to switch the HG-100 on. If external power is available the HUD will illuminate, otherwise just the Bluetooth GPS will operate. Setting the speedometer units to MPH is s simple process using the function button. a 0.5 second press switched between KPH and MPH, a 1 second press shoes the current speed alert setting and a two second press allows you to set the speed at which you wish to be alerted by cycling through with an option to disable this if wished. It would have been nice to also have the option of an audible alert but this is not available.

Startup Display

The display is bright enough for any situation and has a light sensor which automatically reduces brightness in darker conditions at night etc. Even on the sunniest day I had no problem clearly reading the display and found it very much quicker to glance at the HUD than to look down at the instrument console.

GPS Fix

The only thing that I really missed was the ability to have the unit power ON automatically with the ignition when external power is used. In reality what happens is you switch it on, drive and then when you stop and turn off the ignition the HUD switches off but the Bluetooth GPS continues to operate. If you return to the vehicle before the battery in the unit has completely discharged the HUD will automatically switch back on when ignition power is re-applied. If however, the internal battery has depleted then you have to manually switch it on.

It could I suppose be argued that in the current climate such a device should not be left in the car but i would still prefer the option to have ignition power auto activate the unit.

I also used the HG-100 to drive Memory-Map on my laptop and this worked perfectly.

The Bottom Line
Fantastic training gear for walkers and runners. A single wrist unit uses GPS satellites to trace your outdoor workout. Displays speed, distance, pace, laps in large display. Charts your route as you walk or run, and can point you back to start. Pace alerts and a virtual partner can pace your workout. Can download all data to computer with the provided serial interface and free Forerunner Logbook software.

Pros

* GPS Speedometer ready to use out of the box – no setup
* Displays speed, distance, pace, calculates calories burned
* Displays map of route, has a virtual partner for training, download to computer

Cons

* Large size.
* Does not work indoors or where GPS signal not found.
* Logbook software does not make screens easily printable.

Description

* GPS speedometer wrist unit for speed, distance, pace, navigation outdoors.
* Timer mode displays elapsed time, speed or pace, distance, by workout session or lap.
* History mode displays workouts by day, week, total. Can download all data to computer.
* User settable time and distance alerts, pace and speed alerts.
* Can set to record laps automatically, such as every mile.
* Virtual partner paces you – constantly telling you if you are ahead or behind and by how much.
* Map mode displays your workout on a map, with direction heading indicated constantly.
* Back to Start mode leads you back the same route to your starting point, telling you when to turn.
* Logbook software and serial cable provided to upload all data to computer
* Logbook displays map, altitude profile, pace and speed map, and totals for all workouts.

Guide Review – Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS Speedometer
Just what I was looking for. The Garmin Forerunner 201 is the cream of the crop for speedometers for runers and walkers. It comes as a single wrist unit, which is large but not heavy, and has a nice big 1.5″ x 1″ display with big numbers and mapping.

The Forerunner has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and comes with a recharger. The battery charge lasts for 14 hours.

The Garmin Forerunner uses GPS satellites to track your position constantly – but this works only outdoors and also has dropouts in areas where you are shielded from much of the sky by tall buildings or hills. The unit picks up the satellites again once you are in the open. No need to set anything – it is ready to work out of the box.

The Timer mode dislays your workout elapsed time, your present speed or pace, and your distance, which you can choose in meters or miles. It also displays lap distance – and you can set it to record laps automatically such as each mile.

The History mode allows you to view your workouts by day, week, or total.

The Training Assistant Mode includes a virtual partner to pace you, and time and distance alerts.

The Navigation Mode is fun. It displays a map of your workout as you do it. You can mark locations and have it find locations, or you can just have it direct you back over your route to your start.

The Forerunner comes with a serial link and free Logbook software to upload your workout data to your computer, with nifty maps and altitude profiles for each workout.

So can you tell what it is I’m looking at? Yes, it really is a hair from my nose. I wanted to show you what it looks like using this USB Microscope. I’m not doing a live screen capture because it doesn’t work on Vista, and keeps giving me a BSOD on Windows. I can’t run it on a Mac, because the maker wants you to pay for Mac software! That is just ludicrous.

The QX5 USB Microscope is pretty much designed for kids. The software leaves a lot to be desired, but the hardware is great. The image quality is actually excellent.

This computer microscope allows you to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary for hours of fun and learning. View specimens collected around the house, backyard, your desk, or the fridge. Look at the micro-printing on a dollar bill or examine the traces on your motherboard. This microscope provides you an easy way to zoom in on a wide variety of objects to satisfy your curiosity of the world around you. Ever wondered what lint looks like or the mold growing on your week-old bagels? Now you can find out.

Simple plug and play operation with included software that allows you to magnify objects and view them on your PC up to 200X and take snapshots and time-lapse movies. You can also manipulate images with drawing and painting tools. The QX5 microscope is detachable from the stand to allow you to get closer to large objects.

The USB Microscope QX5 has these great features:

* Take snapshots, video, and time-lapse movies
* 3 magnification levels – 10X, 60X, and 200X
* Super-brite LED lighting for bright top and bottom illumination
* Video playback at 15 frames/sec
* Resolution of 640×480
* Software works with Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP
* Handheld mode allows for expanded viewing possibilities
* Comes with: Microscope, USB cable, Stand, Specimen Jars, Sample Slide, Tweezers, Eye Dropper, Slide Clip, and Software CD-ROM

Thanks to the guys over at ThinkGeek for sending me this to review!