Welcome to Dooba Reviews

Laptop Stand and USB Hub

Author Thomas | 15.09.2008 | Category Accessories, Electronics

This notebook stand does a great job holding a notebook and keeping it steady.  The multi-adjustable height elevates the laptop screen high enough to help reduce tension in the shoulders, back and neck.  The front “lip” holds the laptop in place and prevents the laptop from flipping or falling over.

Most notebook stands don’t have a protective measure designed to keep the laptop from falling to the side, front or back.  This stand does.  The stand has no fans to keep your laptop cool, but in our tests, because the laptop is elevated fairly high, and because of the curvature of the stand, the stand helps keep the laptop cool.

An external keyboard is a must with this stand.  Because the stand has a USB hub, a computer mouse, keyboard, and other low-power accessories can be connected to the hub and thus to the notebook.

OVO Digital Photo Album / Frame - 3.5″ Display

Author Thomas | 30.08.2008 | Category Electronics

The OVO 3.5″ Digital Photo Album is one of kind.  It’s sleek design and ease of operation makes it a great choice.  Depending on the size of the pictures imported to the album, it can hold over 1,000.  Slide show mode makes it easy to share pictures.

The OVO digital photo frame comes with a stand so it can stand upright on a desk.  It’s battery is rechargeable and is charged when connected to your computer.

The photo album comes with a slip case, USB cable, software, and instructions.

Digital Photo Keychains

Author Thomas | 11.07.2008 | Category Electronics, Home & Garden

There are a lot of “interesting” digital photo key chains out there, but one trumps them all.  The MX Digital Photo Keychain has a metal backing similar to the ipod (very nice looking). It can store around 100 (re-sized) pictures.

The software is included in the photo frame and works through your computer’s USB port. It also has a calendar and clock features.

Also available in white:

Sansa Fuze Case 3-in-1 Kit (Armband, Case, Sleeve)

Author Thomas | 05.07.2008 | Category Accessories, Electronics

A great case combination for the Sansa Fuze. Rising quickly in popularity, the Sansa Fuze is finding its way into homes across the world, but so far, there are not that many accessories for the mp3 player as many manufacturers focus on the Apple iPod. Fortunately, a few good accessories are out there.

The Sansa Fuze Case kit contains an armband for running/jogging, a hard-shell protective case for travel, and a leather-like sleeve for every day use protection.

We tested the Fuze in the case. It fits quite snug but still works great. The “hard-shell” case helps to protect the player if you toss it in your bag when on the go.

The sleeve works with the armband, so you can take it off the armband and still use the protective sleeve and also cuts down on space and material used.

The armband fits the device well, and because the Fuze is small, the armband and the Fuze together don’t feel like they weigh all that much on your arm. A video iPod on the other hand (or arm as the case may be) is more bulky and heavy to go jogging with compared to the Fuze (just FYI, the Sansa Fuze has an FM tuner in it so you can listen to the radio while you’re out and about).

See the case at: Sansa 3 in 1 Fuze Kit (Armband, Travel Case, & Leather-Grained Protective Glove)

Nikon D60 Digital SLR Camera Review

Author Thomas | 20.05.2008 | Category Electronics

The Nikon D60 is a great camera. It fits into the palm of your hand very well and takes great pictures. Sold in many different lens kit combinations, one of the most popular is with the 18-55mm lens and the 55-200mm lens both offering vibration reduction (more on that later).

Easy to use Presets - This is a camera for beginners, but pack enough punch for the pros. What’s great about the Nikon D60 is that it has presets for taking different types of pictures. Portraits, sports pictures, pictures of children (who won’t stay still very long for example), vistas, night shots, auto select, and more. You’ll learn about aperture and shutter speed and many more photo terms in time, but until then you can make use of the quick setting dial to select what type of photo situation you’re in.

If you want a camera that is easy to use from the get go (compared to other DSLRS, this is it). However, the camera has enough power behind it that a professional photographer could use it and still tweak the settings. So this is a camera that will grow with you so-to-speak.

Solid Construction - The camera feels like it’s heavy duty. It’s got a solid construction and doesn’t feel at all like the look-alike cameras made all of plastic.

Lenses - The 18-55mm lens is great for taking everyday pictures. The 55-200 lens is fantastic for zooming in on a subject; however, the lens is heavier and thus it’s harder to hold the camera still. You might want to look into a tripod or monopod to help hold the camera steady when using larger lenses or using slower shutter speeds.

I went to an NBA playoff game and sat 3rd row from the very top in the arena. Using a 200mm lens that came as part of the kit, I was able to zoom in and take some great photos (when my pictures are not so amateurish, perhaps I’ll post some).

Using the 55-200mm lens we snapped a picture of the moon. The black sky is cropped from the original, but you can see lots of detail on the moon.

Fuzzy Backgrounds - By far, the best thing I enjoy about using this camera is the ability to take a picture / portrait of someone and have the background be fuzzy thus creating a sharpness around the subject. Now you can do so with other less expensive cameras, but wanting to take great photos, I wanted a great, not just a good, camera.

Vibration Reduction - The D60 kit has Vibration Reduction (VR) built into the lenses and not into the camera body itself. From the Nikon material I read, this is supposed to be better than having the VR in the camera body.

SD Memory Card Types - I tried a slow speed SD Memory and a Class 6, 8 Gigabyte SDHC Memory card and it appeared that both took the ~3 pictures per second at the same rate. From what I’ve read, the D60 has a buffer that will capture the pictures and then transfer them to the card.

So you don’t necessarily need the latest and greatest SD memory card, however, when you transfer pictures from the card to your computer, the fast the card, the faster the transfer will be. I did notice that transferring pictures to my computer was A LOT faster using the SDHC Class 6 card.

The Kit - I’m glad I got the D60 with the two lenses. The 18-55mm lens is great, but if I really need to zoom in, the 55-200mm does the job very well. Add a bag to your purchase. You don’t want to get a great camera only to go cheap on a bag that won’t protect your investment. Standard with each D60 is a neck strap. Use it so you don’t drop your camera. With all the peripherals, set a budget for yourself.

Accessories - Once you purchase your camera, you’ll find yourself headed back to purchase additional accessories that make using the camera even more fun. You can find the accessories online for very good prices.

One accessory that fits many Nikon SLR cameras (and yes, it does work for the D60) is the Nikon ML-L3 Wireless Remote Control. The remote lets you operate the shutter release without touching the camera. This is a great tool if you are taking pictures with a slow shutter speed or are taking a picture of a group, and you’re in the group. You don’t have to set the timer, run back to the group, have the picture taken, then go back and do it again because no one was looking. You can just hit the button on the remote and the shutter will release.

Where - The D60 is for sale on Amazon (with training DVD’s) at the following link: Nikon D60 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR and 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor Lens with 2 Nikon School DVD

Laptop Cooling Pad for your Lap

Author Thomas | 12.05.2008 | Category Accessories, Electronics, Home & Garden

Remember when the term “laptop” changed to “notebook”? It was probably around the time when people figured out that laptops get really hot and not comfortable to hold on your lap.

There have been many gadgets out there to help return the “notebook” to “laptop” status. Some a big and bulky, while others are so small, they won’t accommodate the larger laptops.

The Lap Mat provides a great solution to the problem. The Lap Mat has a leatherette (i.e., fake leather) top with a nice stitching detail around the edges. The support surface is strong yet slightly flexible. Under the laptop support surface a pillow filled with soft beads helps to diffuse the laptop heat even more and provides a comfortable cushion to the lap mat.

The cushion can be removed from the laptop support (it’s attached by Velcro). I suppose you would do so if your laptop bag was large enough to put the lap map inside and you wanted to use the cushion as a pillow when flying.

The Lap Mat easily accommodates large, 17″ wide screen laptops.

Because your lap tends to slope downward, you might try combining the Lap Mat with the Cool Lift Portable Notebook Cooling Pad (from the same manufacturer).

The Lap Mat is available on Amazon.com (Direct Product Link).

Active Noise Cancelling Headphones

Author Thomas | 14.04.2008 | Category Electronics

ALTEAM makes great headphones. The Active Noise Canceling feature is awesome. The noise canceling removes the hums and ambient noise made from airplanes, trains, noisy lights and equipment.

The cushioning is very soft making the headphones comfortable to wear. The headphones can operate whether the noise canceling feature is turned on or off. Volume control on the headphones allow you to easily adjust the sound without having to fiddle with your mp3 player. The case helps protect the headphones while traveling.

Specifications
Frequency Response: 20 ~ 20,000HZ
Power: AAA x2 Batteries
Impedance: 30 Ω ± 15%
Max Power Output: 100 mW
Noise Reduction: 70~1,200Hz
Auto Distortion: 0.05~1%
Driver Unit: 40mm special mylar
Battery Life: Approx. 40 Hours
Jack: 3.5mm Plug

Digital Nutritional Scale

Author Thomas | 12.04.2008 | Category Electronics, Home & Garden

Ever been on a diet that makes you count your calories or carbs? Not an easy thing to do on paper or by reading the product labels if you don’t eat the whole thing. Counting important nutritional elements couldn’t be any easier now.

The Digital Diet Scale counts:

• Carbs
• Sodium
• Fat
• Fiber
• Protein
• Calories

The scale has over 900 different types of foods and ingredients programmed into its memory and tells you the content of each diet element above based on the weight of the food. The manual contains a 3-digit code for each food item that you can track. Find out the nutritional content for ice-cream, candy bars, yogurt, hamburgers, vegetables, fruits, common ingredients, poultry, and much more.

You can zero out the scale by placing a bowl on the scale and then turning the scale on. The scale will then register at zero. Add the liquid or other ingredients to the bowl and the scale will weigh only the ingredients added. This can also be accomplished by using the “Tare” function on the scale.

The scale is very handy in that it will display weights in grams, ounces, pounds and ounces, and kilograms. This comes in handy when you’re trying to convert between pounds and kilograms.

The maximum weight that the scale can take is an amazing 11 pounds.

You can use the scale to weigh non-food items as well.

Western Digital 250GB Passport

Author Thomas | 02.04.2008 | Category Electronics, Web

The 250 GB “Passport” from Western Digital is a fantastic external hard drive.

With such a sleek design, the Passport is definitely not an eye-sore. It’s amazing how lightweight the device and small is the device.

Power - The Passport is powered through its USB connection to your computer. Meaning, you don’t need an extra power plug. This feature truly makes the device a portable external hard drive.

Small Drive - It’s amazing that 250 gigabytes can fit on a device so small, but it does. An added bonus from some retailers is that the hard drive comes with a soft, padded black case (which is the case I purchased and love).

Hard Drive Installation - On my laptop, it was plug and play. I love it when I don’t have to install any software for devices I plug into my computer. However, you can run an installer included on the hard drive that will help your synchronize your data and encrypt it to the drive. I usually dislike having to install any additional software, however, since this device is so portable and will probably travel with me, I want my data that is stored on the hard drive to be encrypted. The sync software runs off of the drive itself, so you don’t even have to worry.

Synchronizing & Encrypting Data - Once you run the sync software and create a user name and password, you’re data that you sync will be encrypted to the drive.

The sync opens once you’ve entered your password and copies over your files.

Once your files have been synchronized, you can close the application or view your files through the file viewer.

If you access the drive directly, there is a folder called “WD Sync Data” that has your encrypted data, if you open the folder you can see that the files are stored in folders with letters and don’t make much sense (this is because they’ve been encrypted). If you want to save files directly to the drive without encrypting them, you can do so as well.

File System - The hard drive comes formatted with the FAT32 file system which is more compatible across operating systems but does have limitations as far as maximum file size for a single file (it’s huge about 4GB, but if you’re storing movies, you can try NTFS). I decided to format my drive to NTFS which provides better security, larger file size, and supposedly is more stable. To format the drive as NTFS, I right-clicked on the drive and selected format (This step erases the data on the drive, just FYI, so copy over any existing data you want to keep before formatting. The step also will take a few hours).

After using the drive for hours and hours, it still stays relatively cool. You can feel the hard-drive whirl when holding the drive, but other than that, the drive is very quiet.

With its sleek, glossy design, portability, and ease of use, the Western Digital Passport is a great deal.

No more phone bill with ooma

Author Thomas | 31.03.2008 | Category Electronics

Ooma - No more phone bills…ever.

I recently purchased an Ooma box and am glad to report I’ll be having no more phone bills, ever. I had phone line in my home that I was paying way too much money for every month. Even with slimmed down services, I cringed each time I saw my bill. Enter Ooma, with better features, better sound, and no more phone bills.

So what is Ooma? Ooma is a phone service that lets you make calls over the Internet. The great thing is that you still use your regular phones. You don’t have to buy a headset and be plugged into your computer to talk. You simply plug your existing phone into the back of the Ooma box, and then plug the Ooma box into your home’s Internet connection. Easy.

The Ooma box connects to the Internet yet the person on the other end doesn’t have to have any special setup. You can call anyone you like in the U.S., and it’s free to call.

Voice Mail - The Ooma service will store voice mail for you, and you can even check and listen to your voice mail online after you log into the Ooma Lounge.

Design - The Ooma is definitely designed well with simple, large buttons. The instructions for setup are fairly simple.

Additional Line - With their instant second line, you can essentially have two lines with one phone number, meaning you can have two different calls going at the same time in your home with one phone number. To connect other phones in the house to the system, you can purchase the smaller Ooma Scout box. Let me tell you, all of this is worth it to not have a monthly phone bill month after month, year after year!

Reliable - So far so good for me concerning the phone’s reliability; however, if your Internet connection is completely down, you won’t be able to make calls. You can set the Ooma system up to have a backup land-line connection for a minimal fee depending on who your provider is. Ooma can change that setting for you if you want to start out that way and then change. I’m going for the full Internet only version of Ooma which eliminates my monthly phone bill. Your only cost is the one-time purchase of the Ooma Hub which makes it all possible. There are no hidden fees or contracts. You can purchase the Ooma from their website or from Amazon.com. The Ooma box costs $399. All you need to do is figure out how many months it would take of your current phone bill payment until the Ooma box essentially pays for itself, and that $399 will be the best bargain ever. Remember no more phone bills from here on out!

Porting Numbers - Check to see if your number is portable which means you can transfer your number completely over to Ooma from your old service provider. If your old number can’t be ported for some reason, you can still use the land-line backup option which will retain your old number for you. You can also select the option for a brand new phone number in your area for free.

Quality - I was very surprised when I plugged in the Ooma box and listened to my welcome voice mail created by the company. The voice quality was excellent! I thought it sounded better than my old service provider. Customer service has been friendly in helping me set up and port my number.

Other Features - The Ooma box let’s me put my phone on “Do not disturb.” So, if I’m out of the office, I can send incoming calls straight to voice mail. I can even send an incoming call straight to voice mail. When I receive a voice mail, the system sends me an email notification. Your voice conversations over the Internet are also digitally encrypted from your Ooma box to the Ooma main servers.

The music world was transformed by iTunes, and the phone service world is being transformed by Ooma.

I recommend getting an Ooma. If you don’t like it, they have a 60-day money back guarantee.

Ooma-specials is also running a special rebate discount: Eliminate Your Monthly Phone Bill with ooma!