Near the end of 2019 this column included a review of a white-light smart bulb by Canadian technology company Globe Electric. After seeing the review, Globe sent the Gadget Inspector some of their other smart home products for review. Here are our thoughts. Multicolor Changing RGB Dimmable LED Strip Light Globe offers multicolored strip lights...
Author: Michael Simpson
Gadget Review: Globe Electric’s Soft White Dimmable Frosted LED Smart Bulb
Smart home devices are likely to be among the hottest buys around Black Friday and the holidays. Yet, with so many different brands to choose from, it might be difficult to decide which line to buy into. The ideal smart home product should be reasonably priced, and both easy to install and reinstall if you...
Gadget Review: Anker Innovations’ Roav Bolt with Google Assistant
If your vehicle didn’t come equipped with Android Auto but you’d like access to Google Assistant while you are driving, the Roav Bolt could be your answer. This clever little gadget from Anker Innovations plugs into a vehicle’s 12V cigarette lighter socket and doubles as a dual USB adapter. The convex top of the Bolt...
Gadget Review: Oyen Digital’s MiniPro USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive for Nintendo’s Wii U
Anyone who has a Wii U will know that it doesn’t come with much storage space by big console standards. By the time you’ve downloaded a couple of games from the Nintendo eStore, most of the space has been eaten up. While it’s possible to add external storage, that’s a bit of a crap shoot...
Game of Thrones Gets More Awesomeness with Steelbook BD Releases
Games of Thrones fans have been given something to get excited about just in time for the gift-getting season in the form of limited edition steelbook releases of the HBO series’ first and season seasons. The new Steelbook Collectors Sets from HBO Home Entertainment have box art designed by Elastic, the agency responsible for the...
Software Review: Air Parrot 2 for Windows 10
Apple’s AirPlay and Google’s Chromecast have become the de facto standards for mobile device streaming. Yet, Windows 10 still lacks an inbuilt streaming system that is as widely available and easy to use. Microsoft’s latest OS will stream media to an Xbox or Miracast device but DLNA compatibility is a mixed bag and configuring a...
Gadget Review: Insignia 8-inch 32 GB Microsoft Windows Tablet
Given that the cheapest brand-name tablets on the market currently retail for around $300, it’s hard to believe you can get anything half-decent for half that price. Hence, Best Buy’s $130 8-inch Insignia Windows tablet comes as something of a surprise. Like most tablets in the same price bracket, it’s chunky and has a low...
Frogmind Marches Mobile Hit Badland: Game of the Year Edition onto Wii U
Finnish indie game development studio Frogmind Games has announced the release of its hit game Badland: Game of the Year Edition for Nintendo’s Wii U system. Badland is a side-scrolling 2D action adventure game that has already achieved critical success on other mobile and console platforms, including iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Playstation3, Playstation4, Xbox...
Space Opera is Set for a New Dawn with Dark Matter
Space opera makes a welcome return to Syfy in the US and Space in Canada this Friday with the debut of Dark Matter. Adapted by creators Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie from their own Dark Horse Comics graphic novel, Dark Matter’s 13-episode first season is destined to be an action-packed mix of drama, humour and...
Gift It! Spin Master’s Zoomer Dino
Radio-controlled toys have become increasingly sophisticated in recent years thanks to improved controller technology and an emphasis on personality. No longer restricted to fast cars and monster trucks, this line of playthings now also includes animals that can serve as proxy pets for children. One impressive example that has been flying off shelves this holiday...