Reviews & How-To’s – The Average Guy Network: Recent Episodes
Reviews & How-To’s – The Average Guy Network
In the ever-growing world of portable solar generators, BLUETTI has established itself as a prominent player, consistently pushing the boundaries of innovation. The BLUETTI AC180, with its robust features and impressive specifications, stands out as a power beast in the realm of portable power stations. In this detailed review, we’ll delve into the intricacies of the AC180, comparing it to other models from BLUETTI, presenting a comprehensive chart of pros and cons, and concluding with a recommendation for potential buyers. Full Disclosure: I have purchased and currently use this unit. BLUETTI AC180 Overview: The BLUETTI AC180 is a high-capacity portable
In the seemingly always-changing landscape of portable power stations, the EcoFlow Delta Pro emerges as a powerful contender, promising an efficient and sustainable solution for various power needs. As a technology enthusiast and a former Microsoft MVP with a keen interest in gadgets and innovation, exploring the Delta Pro aligns seamlessly with your passion. In this comprehensive review, we will delve into the intricacies of the EcoFlow Delta Pro, comparing it to other models from the brand, and providing a detailed analysis to assist you in making an informed decision. Overview of EcoFlow Delta Pro: The EcoFlow Delta Pro (at
I recently had the opportunity to review the Emporia 48-Amp 240V Smart WiFi Level 2 EV Charger. Here’s a comprehensive review based on my research Pros: Cons: Here are the basic features and specifications It’s evident that this Emporia EV Charger comes with advanced features such as intelligent load management, flexible amperage settings, and a rugged enclosure for both indoor and outdoor use. The inclusion of an energy monitor adds an additional layer of functionality. Make sure to check with local authorities for any incentives or rebates in your area. If you have specific preferences or requirements, comparing this information
The Govee Bluetooth Hygrometer Thermometer is a wireless monitoring device designed to measure and display both temperature and humidity levels. It’s often used in environments like homes, offices, or other spaces where monitoring these conditions is important. Here are some key features and details about the Govee Bluetooth Hygrometer Thermometer: I own 4 of them and have been using them both to measure the humidity of my cigars, but use one every winter to make sure my home is not getting too dry. Here as some of the features: Pros: Cons: As a tech-savvy individual passionate about maintaining an optimal
Erin Lawrence joins this week (Don’t forget to visit https://TechGadgetsCanada.com for all the reviews). First, we look at the Withings Smart Scale, which Erin found to be problematic despite having a poor experience with a previous smart scale. Next, we looked at the Alexa Smart Kettle, which they found to be surprisingly helpful due to its voice control feature. The GE Smart Stand Mixer was also reviewed, which features a built-in scale and can be controlled through a cell phone or voice, with automated recipes. The Echo Frames 2nd Gen, which are sunglasses that double as headphones and can be
As we close out 2022 and look ahead to 2023, it’s time to look at the Top 10 posts from theAverageGuy.tv for 2022. Not all of them were published in 2022, and many of them are niche products that still have a following today. Its fun to take a short look back and see what was hot during the year. 10 Benefits and Uses of Electronic Gadgets in Learning Install the Old Version of Windows Live Essentials on XP Alesis MultiMix 4 4 Channel USB Mixer Hands On Review 5 Best Gadgets to Reduce Your Household’s Carbon Footprint Buying a
With the new 5G network here, T-Mobile just announced that it is bringing even more high-speed internet to millions of Americans nationwide. T-Mobile now offers 5G Home Internet in my area at the most affordable price, $50 vs the $120 I was paying for Cox. The best thing about T-Mobile’s $50 price tag is that it includes all taxes and fees. No surprises! With Cox, there were always additional fees and taxes, making my final cost much higher than the stated price. Here are the top five benefits as I see it of switching to T-Mobile 5G Home
We’ve talked plenty about smart home technology on Home Gadget Geeks, but the devices are mostly for indoor use, exclusively. So what about outdoors? That’s right, we’re talking about your garden, backyard, or front lawn. Surely if everything has been upgraded on the inside, the outside can also see some improvement. How can we take your outdoor area to the next level? How can we incorporate technology into something as natural as looking after your lawn? Let’s take a look at the best outdoor smart tech for your home and yard. Can you make your backyard “smart”? It doesn’t seem
With the release of Window 10 19H1 build 18305, Windows Sandbox is now available. Windows Sandbox was developed as a tool to help create an isolated and temporary (for now) Windows 10 Desktop environment that would allow you to test out new apps or sites and not worry about it doing something terrible to your PC. As advertised, you lose everything the second you close it down. Good for testing, not so great yet for testing long term applications. Maybe more with come with later builds. To install Windows Sandbox, you must be on Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise and
This might be the best $20 gadget I have tested out yet. This is a Hands on Review of the Jelly Comb Mini Bluetooth Keyboard. It’s a rechargeable Handheld Remote Control Wireless Mini Keyboard that is light, easy to use and works great in tough situations. http://amzn.to/2wZyxWV The Bluetooth 3.0 technology provides a cable-free & clutter-free connection and has an operating distance of about 10 meters. In my home, I had a tough time getting it out of range when using it. Great for a media center PC or like us, a touchscreen PC we have mounted on the wall
Top Home Tech Integration to Consider in Your Next Remodel By Ryan Martin from https://www.homeimprovementleads.com – Guest Writer While you’re preparing to renovate your living space, go beyond brainstorming how you want your home to look. Think about how you want it to perform and function. Home automation can make your daily life simpler and your surroundings more intuitive, allowing you to spend less time thinking about convenience, comfort, and even safety—and spend more time doing the things you love. There’s never a more opportune time to integrate home tech than during a remodel. Home Improvement Leads is here
If you listen to Home Gadget Geeks much, you know I am a big fan of solar power. While it is still too expensive and not cost effective here in Nebraska (getting better) it is catching on in places around the world and costs are dropping dramatically. I think someday we will be able to get most if not all of our energy from renewable sources. I was contacted by the Solar Action Alliance about partnering with them on a blog post. Below is the result. Would love your feedback on articles like this. Keep doing it? Different topics? Send
By Emily Prokop from http://www.classylittlepodcast.com/ – Guest Writer Think Pokémon Go is going to get you out of the house and away from your gadgets? Think again! Don’t let the great outdoors stop you from looking for excuses to sneak a few more Amazon boxes on your front porch. Here are five gadgets to help you in your quest to catch ‘em all! Anker PowerCore 13400 Portable Charger While keeping the Pokémon Go app open all day while searching for Charmander may not make a huge dent in your data plan, thankfully, it is a quick drain on your battery
By Dan Brown – Guest Writer Found at Amazon at http://amzn.to/1PZbMrD Like many people we collected several movies over the years on VHS tape. Many of these are Disney moves or other kid movies. Our kids are now adults and have moved out of our house, but we do anticipate that they will soon marry and we will have grandchildren around that might want to watch those movies. Ideally we would simply keep the tapes around and play them on the VCR when the grandkids are around. However, our VCR no longer works, and it is no longer possible to
By Bill Rockhold – Guest Writer Intel Compute Stick: Episode II In my last post on the Intel Compute Stick, https://theaverageguy.tv/2015/11/23/hands-on-review-of-the-intel-compute-stick-windows-boxstck1a32wfc/, I had run into a couple of difficulties, but it had ended with a positive feeling. That didn’t last, shortly afterward the fit started to hit the shan. Windows 10 Install I had upgraded from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, which had seamed to go without any issues, but afterward I started to have some problems. I installed Handbrake, to use as a benchmark on CPU power. The app would crash every time I tried to run it. I
By Kyle Wilcox – Guest Writer As part of the Average Guy Tech Scholarship fund found at https://www.patreon.com/theaverageguy, I had three three baby monitors that I considered for the review: Angelcare AC1120 Video and Sound Monitor – http://amzn.to/1mQCQve Summer Infant Wide View Digital Color Video Baby Monitor – http://amzn.to/1mQCWCS Motorola MBP33S Wireless Video Baby Monitor with 2.8-Inch Color LCD, Zoom and Enhanced Two-Way Audio – http://amzn.to/1mQCZ1H All three models seemed fairly similar and as of January 2016, each was selling for around $110. The decision to go with the Summer unit came down to the fact that it had a
By Bill Rockhold – Guest Writer Initial thoughts on the Intel Compute Stick Windows BOXSTCK1A32WFC at Amazon at http://amzn.to/1MyTloj (Click on and picture to make it larger) Lets get the hardware out of the way. The Intel Compute Stick is a full computer in a form factor that looks like a large USB memory stick, but instead of plugging it into a USB port, it plugs into a TVs HDMI port. Obviously for around $130 on Amazon it isn’t going to have massive specs, but it isn’t completely unusable. There are two version, one with Ubuntu Linux and another with
Disclosure – I was provide the Olixar BoomBrick Wireless Bluetooth Speaker for review by http://www.mobilefun.com/ You can find it on MobileFun at http://www.mobilefun.com/41906-olixar-boombrick-wireless-bluetooth-speaker-black.htm or Amazon at http://amzn.to/1I8KzcN The BoomBrick Wireless Bluetooth Speaker is the newest in a crowded market of Blue Tooth Speakers. Where the BroomBrick is different than many of the others however is that it features two powerful 3W drivers, providing you with a total output of 6W that enables room filling high fidelity audio. The BoomBrick overcomes bass problems by featuring a passive radiator, which extends the bass response of the two existing full-range drivers –
By David Bradway – Guest Writer I was sent the Leap Motion device from the Average Guy Tech Scholarship Fund (Thanks Jim!). I thought I could test the device both as an Average Guy and an average coder. First up was unboxing the nice, Apple-like packaging materials. Unboxing (Click and an photo to enlarge) Software Installation It was a simple Plug and Play setup, software download and install. The Leap Motion software installs a desktop program called the “Leap Motion App Home” which contains some starter apps: Leap Motion App Store Playground, which is a set of training games.
I was contacted by MobileFun.com from http://www.mobilefun.com/ who provided me with the Mophie Juice Pack Dock (http://www.mobilefun.com/52803-mophie-juice-pack-compatible-iphone-6s-6-dock-black.htm) or on Amazon at http://amzn.to/1WhGedE for this review. I purchase the Mophie Juice Pack Plus for iPhone 6 (3,300 mAh) case on Amazon at http://amzn.to/1WhGn0J to go with it for this review. The use case for me is travel. I often have to charge my iPhone in the afternoon when I use it during flights or long drives. In November of 2015, I made the trek out to Seattle (flights were sponsored by the awesome http://Tawk.to) and would have a 5 hour flight
By Sarah Collison – Guest Writer Review: Bluetooth Headphones Anear Stereo Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds for Sport Running Gym Exercise Sweatproof CVC 6.0 Noise-Cancelling Wireless Bluetooth Earphones W/Microphone Compatible with iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 5 5c 5s 4 and Android–Black & Green. On Amazon at http://amzn.to/1jPOkhK Jim was sent these wireless Bluetooth earbuds to review, but I jumped on the opportunity as I thought they might be very useful to me. Doing professional housekeeping, it has been a nuisance to keep my phone in my pocket and a cord running down my back to listen to music. And there were times
By Randy Pearson – Guest Writer The model I purchased was an Intel NUC NUC5i3RYH , on Amazon at http://amzn.to/1S7fwnw with a core i3. I put 16GB of RAM and a 500GB SSD, complete overkill but I had some gift credits that I needed to take advantage of. The on board SSD is M.2 Type. There is also a very nice mounting location on the inside of the cover for an internal 2.5” drive that I mounted an extra 1GB spinning disk. Components: Samsung 850 EVO M.2 500GB Sata III Internal SSD http://amzn.to/1PT9QOH Crucial Memory http://amzn.to/1GwcQi3 LG Blu-ray http://amzn.to/1WgL0NQ
By Erin Vaughan – Guest Writer Modern life isn’t perfect. There are so many chores to do and things to remember, and sometimes it can be downright overwhelming to keep track of it all. Fortunately, there are lots of cool gadgets on the horizon that will help save you time and hassle, and that will make you feel like your home is cool and space-aged to boot. Smart Locks Anyone who’s ever felt the pain (and expense!) of locking themselves out of their apartment or home will be pleased to learn that the tech field is on the case. These
By Maria Ramos – Guest Writer Web-based crowdfunding platforms, like KickStarter or IndieGoGo, are an excellent way to take promising projects with funding needs beyond the originator’s financial resources. They also offer individuals the opportunity to become backers in return for a share of the eventual profits or products. This can be said for virtually any project, no matter how ridiculous it may seem, but one such area in our society that needs more support is renewable energy. With individuals becoming more environmentally-conscious, there is sure to be a consumer market aimed at one of the most viable forms of
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/1OY6qHm Full Disclosure – This unit was provide to me by Anear with the express purpose of review and was not purchased. Notes: I was contacted from Anear about reviewing the Anear LED Spotlight with PIR Motion Sensor for the blog. Since I had the perfect spot in the garage to install it, I took them up on the offer. Currently in our garage, I have a switched light that we always end up leaving on since the switch is in a very bad location. I installed a florescence light there to help with the energy savings, but
I purchased the Mohu Leaf 50 on the recommendation of a friend on Facebook as a replacement for the two roof-top antennas I was using that I had installed inside my attic. They were not giving me very good reception and the wife acceptance factor was dropping by the day! Here is what I run inside the house. Windows 7 Media Center PC 1 – SiliconDust HDHomeRun HDHR-US Dual Networked High Def Digital Tuner http://amzn.to/1dUxpXA 8-VSB (ATSC over-the-air digital TV) QAM64/256 (unencrypted digital cable TV) IR Receiver (signal PC with a standard remote control) 100baseTX high speed network 1 –
I spent some time three years ago making sure everyone had a simple guide for finding everything they would need for Windows 8 and you can find that here: https://theaverageguy.tv/2012/09/09/the-average-guys-windows-8-survival-guide/. I thought it might be nice to make another one for Windows 10 and keep it up to date as well. It’s a working document, growing and changing as time passes. It can also be influenced by you. Leave a comment here of your favorite Windows 10 resource, send me a link in twitter (https://twitter.com/jcollison), post it out to our Facebook group or send it to me in an email,
By Maria Ramos – Guest Writer In this new decade, competition in the computing and gadgets sectors has reached a fervor not seen since the early days of the PC and gaming industries. After quite some time languishing in self-induced proprietary obscurity, Apple has begun to take the competition from the likes of Google very, very seriously. Apple’s plans to compete with the now juggernaut were made all too real at the recent WWDC, where a number of massive upgrades to existing Apple technology, as well as updates on forthcoming new marvels, were shown to the masses. With the increasing
Contacted Back in April, I was contacted by Tech Armor to do a review of a few of their products. Since I had just picked up the iPhone 6 in February, thought it would be great to look at a screen cover and case. They also sent me a 6ft braided Lightning Cable in the box. All items where shipped and delivered to me without purchase on my part. I have been working with the products over the last several weeks to provide the best possible review Here is what was sent Case I first tried out the
It’s been a year since I produced a gear update. Last year I purchase a new mixer and added a new PC to the mix. You can find that update here: https://theaverageguy.tv/2014/06/14/new-pc-upgrade-for-the-averageguy-tv-studios-intel-core-i7-and-windows-8-1-update/ Web platforms – Web and Media Hosting Maplegrove Partners – founded by my podcasting partner Christian Johnson, this web and media hosting service has all the benefits and security like the big guys with all the best customer service and customizations of a small shop. Christian is taking on new customers and podcasters at https://maplegrovepartners.com/ I have been with MGP from the beginning and don’t plan to move
If you are looking for an average guy device that you can carry along with you when you travel and serves several purposes in one, you might have that option with the Kingston Technology MobileLite Digital 5-in-1 Mobile Companion. Weighing in at just a hair over 171 grams or 6 oz, this very light and portable device is portable Wifi connected storage and battery back up all in one! We covered this on the Home Gadget Geeks Podcasts with VIDEO. You can find it here: https://theaverageguy.tv/2015/03/28/kingston-5-in-1-spring-means-bbq-microsoft-band-and-apple-watch-jabra-speak-410-hgg207/ Items Sent – Click to enlarge picture Kingston Digital 5-in-1 Mobile Companion http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KU2E9IW?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393185&creativeASIN=B00KU2E9IW&linkCode=shr&tag=avestufrothea-20&linkId=3UWA55CVHJKTJHAN&qid=1426376376&sr=8-1&keywords=kingston+5+in+1+mobile+companion
One of the many reasons I love podcasting is that I learn so much from those I interview. It’s been a consistent flow of new information now for the last 5 years! I recently interviewed Ryan Parker (@TheRyankParker) of http://foodcraftsmen.com/ on Home Gadget Geeks 193 (http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg193) and he recommend the IDevices IGrill Mini (click the link to find on Amazon) and ordered it right before Thanksgiving here in the US for $38.98. On show 193, I talked Ryan thru my special BBQ Bacon Wrapped Turkey method (https://theaverageguy.tv/2011/11/27/bbq-turkey-and-bacon-two-great-tastes-that-taste-great-together/) and asked him how I could take it up a notch. The iGrill
I needed a laptop during the Microsoft MVP Summit in Redmond (the restrictions on my work laptop prevented me from completing the posting of a podcast) and found myself at the Bellevue WA Microsoft Store looking for something new before the conference started. New to the market and what looked to be the best of the low end was the HP Stream 14 Signature Edition Laptop. With a 14 inch screen, 32GB of SSD, an AMD Quad Core Processer and 2GB of RAM, this laptop is set to compete with the Chromebook. It deceivingly light for it’s size and very
Since I travel a bunch for my job at Gallup, I am in and out of planes (and sometimes trains) a little more than I like. Ever since Bose came out with their noise cancelling headphone several years ago, I have been eyeing them, but get held up at the $299 price tag. I know they are good and I have tested them out at several tech outlets, but the price has always held me back. Bose QuietComfort 25 Headphones, Black by Bose for $299.00 I have also been using the Audio-Technica ATR-2100 as a podcasting microphone now for the
Thanks to a request from a listener on the Home Gadget Geeks Podcast, I have written a plug-in package for Subsonic that makes it easy to stream live television over the web for those using the SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime SubWave 1.0 for Subsonic/Madsonic Mediaserver Author: Christian Johnson Release Date 8/17/2014 Download Link: Click to Download Note: An updated download link with the Madsonic modification will be posted soon. Installation Instructions Prerequisites Before beginning plugin installation, ensure your HDHomeRun is already properly setup and configured on your network. Make sure you also know what IP address the device is using on your
With all the cloud and private cloud offerings that have come out recently, I thought it would be helpful to lay them out in some kind of matrix that I could update as things change. Below is what I have seen to date. If you know of one that I have missed to needs to be updated, please email podcast@theAverageGuy.tv and I will post the update. Updated September 1, 2014 Here are the costs of storing it in the cloud (Using a shared Excel Web App not doubt!) Click here to open: http://sdrv.ms/12j9ZOl A couple of services that help you
John Greenaway is a Home Tech listener since show #1 is guest writing for The Average Guy Blog. This item was purchased with proceeds from the Average Guy Tech Scholarship Fund. https://www.patreon.com/theaverageguy Working through the outset of this project was emotional as well as therapeutic for me. As such, I felt compelled to elaborate a small amount on why I embarked on this project and how the combination of my personal / family situation, my nostalgic nature, my interest and appreciation for technology, and my paranoid approach to data management, and archival led me to this point. For those solely
By Kevin Schoonover I spend way too much time shopping for things on Craigslist. Buying used can be a great deal or you could just be buying someone else’s headache. You need to research and understand what you’re buying. Specifically, around printers, vendors have good models and models that are not so good. Doing a web search on the issues around a certain model will lead you to find what kind of problems people are having and if there is any consistency around them. I also look to buy printers from the same family so that they use the same
By Kevin Schoonover UPDATE: 12.13.14 (I love that! I should have posted at 9:10:11am) McAfee LiveSafe has continued to perform exceptionally well. Of the six computers that I am running it on none have exhibited any issues. LiveSafe has not caused any slowdown or lock up or application issues. I’m still extremely pleased with the product. I have also deployed it on several android tablets. I have noticed that it does slow down older tablets. Also, I’m not sure that there is a clear benefit to running it on tablets. Although it does a very good job of screening applications
My eight-year-old daughter has been using an old Windows XP laptop. My concerns for parental guidance and family control would be better served on a Windows 7 or 8 laptop. A Windows 8 machine would move her into the latest touchscreen technology. I’d started shopping with the idea of getting her onto a new Windows 8 laptop sometime around XP’s demise. Windows 8 became an easy choice as she had no issues using the touch interface and understanding the gestures. Things I wanted in a new laptop for her were Windows 8, touchscreen, 15 inch screen, light and thin as
I recently sat down with Jackson Cutsor, a Senior from Omaha North High School in Omaha, NE and talked about 3D printing and some of the work that Jackson is doing at North. Madeline Nelson was on the camera and big thanks to the award winner educator Therese Laux who helped get it all together. I am excited about partnering with Omaha North in the future for additional podcasts! Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/theAverageGuyTV Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theaverageguy/ If you’d like to subscribe to the show, click on to update your iTunes library, or for other Podcast downloading applications, please click on
Bill Rockhold is a Home Tech listener and guest writer for the The Average Guy Blog. This item was purchased with proceeds from the Average Guy Tech Scholarship Fund. https://www.patreon.com/theaverageguy With spring break approaching and summer vacation right around the corner, the season of road trips with children were quickly upon us. Our family’s biggest technology road trip hurdle was that my step-daughter had a tablet, but had too many videos to fit on the device. So, we would end up taking a DVD player to compensate for the lack of drive space. I thought that I solved the issue
My Nest thermostat is not so lonely anymore! Thanks to The Average Guy Tech Scholarship Fund I have the pleasure of reviewing the latest from Nest. The Nest Protect is a smart smoke and carbon monoxide detector and that doesn’t take much when compared to the average home smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. The biggest and most interesting part of the Nest Protect for me is the fact that it doesn’t over react. I think we all have cooked something a little to well done and opened the oven to take care of the issue only to have another issue.
Magicstick is a 2800mAh battery (Amazon purchase that supports The Average Guy Tech Scholarship Fund: http://amzn.com/B00B1GE6TI) with a nice, simple design. The first thing you notice about the Magicstick 2800mAh is how solid and well built it feels. It is not heavy, only 2.6 oz., but the device has heft. The casing is made of brushed aluminum, (mine was charcoal), and feels quite sturdy. It comes in quite a few colors (my favorite is red). On the charging end of the cylinder there are two ports, micro USB port is for charging the Magicstick, leaving the standard USB for
The Alesis MulltiMix 4 USB Mixer is a compact four channel mixer that features a digital output. The top panel houses the four input channels on the Alesis MultiMix 4 USB Mixer, and all inputs accept a 1/4” size input. To view your main output levels the mixer contains a five-level, multi-colored LED meter. Additionally, Channels One and Two feature a XLR Microphone input, a HPF (High-Pass Filter) switch, gain trims, both high and low EQ, and pan controls. Line-In One also allows for a Guitar Input, with guitar switch. Channels Three and Four share a level and balance control.
Part I – Seagate GoFlex Satellite First Impressions Over the years our digital libraries have grown quite large. The accumulation of audio, video and picture files prevents any one portable device from being able to store it all. In my case, I have over 350 GB of Music and Videos in my iTunes library and over 3 TB of Recorded TV and Movie backups on my Windows Home Sever 2011. When preparing for a trip with the kids, I would copy various movies and TV shows from my iTunes library to the different devices I have trying to spread out
Well after two weeks in shipping, I received my Tronsmart MK908 Android Mini PC. While Android is typically used in smartphones and tablets, someone got the idea of putting Android on a tiny PC about half the size of a deck of cards. Instead of having a built-in touch screen for operation, these devices plug into a standard HDMI port on a TV or computer monitor. The device itself came in very nice retail packaging and included the appropriate HDMI and USB cables. That was good because I was worried that cables were going to raise the total cost
Android mini PCs have become a very interesting technology segment in the last few years. The Raspberry Pi has really helped to drive innovation around small form factor computing. I became interested in them as a low cost option to replace light desktop computing such as word processing. Many Android mini PCs are about half the size of a deck of cards, making them very portable and versatile. The device can be easily attached to a HDTV and then run whatever operating system is installed; Android is the most popular and various versions of Linux may or may not be
Don’t make the mistake of comparing the Roku 3’s size to its capabilities. Roku 3 (http://amzn.com/B00BGGDVOO at Amazon) is a sleek, slender device that can easily fit within the palm of your hands. It is a powerful machine that is an absolute delight to use. I have been using the Roku 3 actively for the past one week and have been amazed at its speed and overall features set. Not only can the Roku 3 change channels quickly, its search and channel store library is second to none. This device is leaps and bounds above its competition and a significant
The new Outlook.com is out from Microsoft and it has quietly made a splash with a reported 1 million users in 6 hours. I am a Google Apps user and I have several email accounts that are not your traditional yourname@gmail.com but are myname@mydomain.com and are hosted on Gmail servers. The set up for regular Gmail accounts is fairly straight forward, the setting up an Google Apps account is not as intuitive for the average guy. Here is how you get it started. First, go out to http://outlook.com and sign in with your Microsoft ID. If you don’t have
On Rich’s Random Podcast Generator #19, co-host Jim Collison and I walked through every tab and feature of Acronis True Home Image 2012. In doing so, we came across something that caught my eye: a feature that lets you to burn a PC backup image to bootable DVD(s). The feature is called Acronis One-Click Restore, and it’s a great way to give family and friends whose PCs you repair a simple way to perform their own PC restore should the need ever arise. The steps to creating the bootable DVD(s) can be a little tricky if you’ve never
I was first introduced to the Nest as I was scrolling through my large list of RSS feeds in Google Reader in the fall of 2011. Since then my interest has grown in the product. The idea is perfect… take one of the items in your house, the thermostat and make it better. In the past the Nest was sold only through the website www.nest.com but on May 8th, 2012 the Nest became available at Lowes and more recently at the Apple stores and Amazon.com. It is always nice when a product comes to a local retail store so I
I recently purchased a Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR120GB 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) from Newegg. It can be found here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226236 I purchased it to replace a Western Digital 1 TB WD10EACS Green Drive that will be moved into my storage pool on the Window Home Server (where it belonged in the first place). It was also a bit slow at times. See the stats below: The box with the new drive arrived this week and I couldn’t wait to get it installed on the weekend. After installing Windows 7 Ultimate from scratch
I made a big deal about the HP TouchPad just a couple months back and even dropped a few reviews here at the Average Guy (http://theaverageguy.tv/category/hometech/hp-touchpad/). But as most of us know by now, HP decided to get out of the table business (later reversed) sold them for $99/$149, quickly sold out and we thought we would never see them again, right? WRONG! I first saw this at Best Buy, and today I saw the same thing at CompUSA.com. They are back at $149, but with a catch! (click the graphic to see the deal) HP TouchPad FB356UT Tablet –
Of all the strange places, I found this thread over at the Home Server Show forums. Erik Chavez (texasPl in the HSS Forums) posted some feedback on his overclocking experience with his new TouchPad as well as a great deal on a cover from a source that might surprise you. Disclaimer: Overclocking your HP Tablet could result in a bricked unit and is at your own risk. The Average Guy accepts no responsibility for the content or results of the following. If it works however, we get all the credit! Here is what Eric had to say. Here’s the forum
Regardless of whether or not HP supports your shiny new TouchPad in the future, here are 10 things you can do with it, right now, that will never require future HP support and are mostly free. So pull it out of the box and let’s get started! 1. Connect it to your web or Corporate Email. I already wrote about this in a BYTE.com article, but email setup is fast and easy – even at work! In most cases, you might even be able to do it by just knowing your corporate webmail settings. If not, just check with your