Gadgets in the mail June 2014

We’re going to start a new regular feature here – a monthly preview post of some gear we’re going to be reviewing.

This is your chance to chime in with any requests to prioritize any of these reviews or ask specific questions or request tests to be included in the review.

Here are the items that are currently being shipped out that we’ll be looking at in upcoming posts:

Mpow® 4 Port Portable USB 3.0 Bus-Powered Hub with a Extended 3.3ft USB 3.0 Cable

A compact 4 port usb 3 hub. You can never have too much money or too many USB ports. Problem is the big hubs are big.

This compact hub should help out as an extension hub to accept usb keys and dongles while keeping the larger 7 port hub out of the way at the back of the desk. We’ll test it daisy chained into the main hub.

 

STUDIO IN A BOX: 1000 watt Light Kit, 32″ light tent with 4 pcs backdrops

The Studio-in-a-box is a basic light tent with 4 different backdrops and a cheap light kit for item photography.

Hopefully a decent portable all in one kit, at this price we’ll also be checking out the quality of construction and ease of use.

We’ll be sure to include lots of test shots and any tips for use we stumble across.

 

Griffin PowerMate USB Multimedia Controller

An oldie but a goodie, multipurpose control for music volume etc.

Unfortunately not the wireless bluetooth version yet, but we’re interested to see how adaptable it is for a home jukebox system. The Griffin Powermate is primarily a volume control, but has other tricks up it’s sleeve.

 

Line 6 Sonic Port Audio Interface

Similar to the Apogee JAM and iRig interface: The line 6 Sonic Port is a way to get your guitar running through your phone or tablet.

This one gets good reviews from buyers on the Apple store.

The Sonic Port lets you record guitar, add effects and jam along with music by isolating tracks. We’ll check out the apps along with it as well as its use with Garage Band on the iPad.

Brenthaven Collins Ultra-Padded Convertible Backpack for Macbook and other 15″ Laptops

The Brenthaven looks like a good lightweight gadget pack to replace our old favourite which is starting to show its age and is unfortunately no longer made.

We’ll use this bag to haul a laptop and gear, we’ll be checking this bag for storage space, internal organization and ergonomics.

We’re hoping that this pack will have the right balance between weight and carrying capacity, but looking for recommendations on your favourite packs as well.

Cocoon Grid-It Organizer

The Grid-it system is essentially a board with a collection of elastic straps to help organize gadgets and cables in a laptop bag, this is the medium sized version: 8 x 12 inches.

So thats everything that’s currently in the mail. When we receive these items we’ll be testing them out and posting our impressions here. If you have any comments or requests please drop them in the comment section below!