+Lifeguard Battery Bar Review!

One of my biggest pet peeves is a dead cell phone battery. Being away from home so much means that I need to stay connected. Through having multiple obligations outside of work and a love for exploring and film photography, there's not much time for me to actually plug in to a wall power source.

When offered the opportunity to review a Lifeguard Portable Battery Charger for free, I was super excited! This device would allow me to be prepared, no matter the situation, and would offer a convenience that would be dearly appreciated!

The first thing that I noticed when I received the bar was that it was heavy in my hand. The metal casing is sleek and black and heavy duty. There's no fear of breaking the thing if I drop it! The bar is about as tall as my phone is and is perhaps 1/2" to 3/4" wide. It is rectangular, but the edges are rounded out, so it's easy to slip into my pocket without sharp edges. When I connected my phone through the provided mini-usb cable, a light near the Lifeguard logo lit up  (blue). That let me know that my phone was charging and that the portable charger still had "juice".

The bar is very straightforward and easy to use. The mini-usb port is labeled "input" for when the bar itself needs to be charged. The standard usb port is labeled "output" for when a device needs to be charged.

I have used this portable charger with my phone and my iPad, and am happy to report that it can charge my phone fully multiple times on one charge. It keeps my iPad running when the battery is low, however, it isn't for as long as my phone (perhaps due to larger screen size and more advanced operations). The bar itself takes a couple of hours to charge, but can be done in your "down time" or can be left on a charger when you are out for the day.

D-Knight Magicbox Bluetooth Speaker Review!

Sometimes I'm selected to review a product that I didn't know that I needed in my life. I accept the offer to receive it for free thinking "Sure. What the heck. I'll find a use for it." and then I end up LOVING it and using it every day. In the instance of D-Knight Magicbox Bluetooth Speaker, I'm HOOKED!

I love things that I can jump immedately into using without having to read the instructions. The description of the product included "Bluetooth", so I figured I'd be fine if I turned the speaker on and turned the Bluetooth on my phone on. Instantly, I was able to pair the two, and a chime let me know that the connection was solid.

After I had the basics down (thanks to my Amazon Prime Music app), I explored the buttons. There's a button to connect the phone to the speaker, a button to skip forward and backwards through a playlist, and a pause/play button.

On the side, there's a slot for a memory card, an auxiliary input, a power switch, and a mini USB port for charging. The speaker came with a cord that allows it to be charged and it charges QUICKLY. I've gotten hours of use out of just half an hour of charging.

I placed this speaker in my car because the sound quality is so much better than my sound system. My car's stereo isn't old (it's 2014), but this speaker is just so clear and LOUD that it's hard to beat. The distortion doesn't happen until a surprisingly high volume.

The speaker itself is sharp looking! The plastic (or metal? I can't tell) mesh is black, and the top and bottom are non-skid silicone. The buttons are silicone as well.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this speaker! It's so awesome that it's definitely on the list of things that would be a great gift for anyone! I highly recommend it if you're looking for a louder way to play your music or an alternative to your car stereo. It's a fantastic gift for the music lover in your life!

Dash Mate Makes Travel A WHOLE Lot Easier!

If you know of me personally, you know that my husband and I are on the road a lot for his band's gigs. The typical routine is to have one person hold the phone and navigate while the other person drives. This can be a bit bothersome, as one person has to hold it so that the driver can see. Additionally, the calibration in the phone will change direction at the slightest tilt. It's annoying to have to hold the phone a certain way, for any amount of time. It's also easy to lose the phone when not using it for GPS purposes. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but in our roadtrip condition, we are absolute slobs because we're essentially living in the car.

Needless to say, I jumped on the opportunity to review a product that would make our travels more convenient. CJ's Savings offered this promotion to me in exchange for my honest opinion.

I know, I know. My car needs a dusting.

To be honest, I expected to get a cheaply assembled, Chinese piece of crap (let's face it, most of these products are worth about $1 and break within a few uses). What I got, however, was a pleasant surprise. Upon opening the box, I pulled out a sturdy, thick piece of plastic. The phone holder itself slides to adjust to different positions for the phone and different sizes of phones. The clip on the back was my main concern, but it is actually made of very thick, durable plastic. I tested the Dash Mate with my phone and was pleasantly surprised to see that it fit. I have a cheap Straight Talk phone, so typically accessories don't work with it. The Dash Mate is extremely adaptable, and it worked perfectly! The final test was to see if it actually fit the air vent in my car. Turned one way, it was a little loose and slid around. HOWEVER, I quickly realized that it wasn't SUPPOSED to fit that way. Once I turned it the other direction, it stuck to my vent like Velcro. It doesn't rattle or slide around and it fits snugly. When you need to pull it out, it is easily removed. I'm very impressed with how well the Dash Mate works and the quality of the product overall! Highly recommended by this traveling blogger!

Want one?