Hey gang, Valkor here. While most folks are gearing up for Halloween, those of us who are into tech media are gearing up for the holiday season. And it’s never too early to start looking for things you might want to get for yourself or others. And thanks to the folks at Pepcom, their themed event “Tech the Halls”, brought along a plethora of companies, showing off tons of stuff that you might want or give this year. And if you want to know more about a company or its products, you need only click their name.
Monoprice – Headphones are the easiest gifts you can give at any time of the year; they’re gender neutral and they’re perfect for anyone who either commutes or they simply want to relax at home. And the folks at Monoprice have a few that might be of interest. First up is the SonicSolace over-the-ear, Bluetooth headphones with Active Noise Cancelling. Or if you’re looking for something for the true audiophile in your life, then you might want to check out their M300 or the M56 Planar headphones. Finally, to help keep your cleanliness up to speed, Monoprice introduces the Strata Home Smartvac 2.0 that not only vacuums, but it can also sweep and mop.
ViewSonic – If you’re into photo and/or video editing, then you might be looking to invest in ViewSonic’s latest 38" widescreen, curved monitor that gives you more than enough onscreen real estate to get the job done. It’s a beautiful display that touts plenty of features, which I’ve linked directly to the ViewSonic name.
JLabs – I was given the chance to meet the gang over at JLabs on my first west coast Pepcom outing; so it was good to see them on my side of the pond. And while I’ve already seen most of what the company has to offer, there was still a little something that caught my eye – the EpicExecutive. The EpicExecutive looks similar to the House of Marley Smile Jamaica, in that they hang around the neck. The EpicExecutive also offers up active noise cancellation, up to 7 hours playtime, and a plug-in option. Now if they sound as good as good as they look, plus no skipping, then I’d say JLabs will have themselves a winner!
Nightingale – If you’re in the market for something to help you get the best sleep in your life, then you might want to consider the Nightingale Sleep System. It works with your existing outlets, plus it offers up its own port, so you’re not without one. It provides a selection of ambient sounds to block outside noises, and if need be you can use multiple devices depending on the size of your room. I’ve got my eye on this one, so stay tuned for updates.
Cat – whenever I see the Cat company logo, I instantly think of rugged machinery. And now the folks at Cat have shrunken down that ruggedness and wrapped it around a couple of smartphones that feature the durability the company is known for, plus a few other features. Here we have the S41 and the S60; both are similar as they offer up the latest Android OS, a strong battery, which you can share with other devices, and extended storage capability. The only difference between the two, that I can see thus far, is that the S60 has thermal imaging, which is great if that’s something you’d need in your line of work.
Ventev – It’s always a good time when the folks at Ventev stop by the cave. And it’s just as much fun when we get to pay them a visit at events such as Pepcom. While they were showing off a plethora of products, I locked in on a few choice items such as the wireless Chargestand, which features an adjustable puck. Next, we have the wirelesspro Dock for your car, which can be adjusted to fit most smartphones. Finally, we can’t forget the portable battery packs, which Ventev had a few on hand and they're definitely worth noting. First we have Powercell 6010+, which features an AC prong and an attached cable, and finally, we have the rq1300 wall mount charger. Now that’s quite the selection!
EZVIZ – Alacran had way too much fun handling EZVIZ’s first round of security cameras. Now with their latest selection, he might lose his mind with all that awesomeness. EZVIZ showcased a handful of cameras, and I’ll highlight only a couple of items since we’ve already reviewed some; first up we have the mini Trooper, which is wire-free, can be placed indoors or out, and it works with Alexa. And finally, we have the Five Plus Action camera, which features a 12MP camera that shoots in 4k, easily giving GoPro a run for its money!
NETGEAR – We’ve done the WNDR4500, we’ve played with the Orbi, but we’re not done with NETGEAR just yet. Not by a long shot, since their latest router – the Nighthawk X6S tri-band router needs to spend some time in the cave. It touts blazing speeds, which is perfect for the gamer and streaming media crowd and it's compatible with Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Alexa.
HyperX – Most, if not all gamers will agree, we want the best gaming experience possible. And in order to do that our consoles need the very best we can give it. And while HyperX is still fairly new, yet not totally new, to the scene, their gaming equipment is a cut above the rest. Next up we’ll soon have the HyperX Cloud Alpha Pro Gaming headset, which promises better clarity, less distortion, and improved sound quality. To be honest, HyperX’s headphones have all been amazing, easily scoring high grades here at TOV and across the interwebz. So, of course, I’d like to see how well their latest headsets are by comparison to their past efforts.
