If you work in an office, you have probably gone to a conference room to watch or give a presentation. And, as part of the presentation process, you probably had to figure out how to connect to the projector or the big screen monitor or watch someone struggle to do so. You need to find the right port, the right cable, and figure out which Input you need to use. Wouldn’t it be nice to just attach an HDMI (or USB Type-C) dongle to your laptop and have it magically appear on the screen with no cables snaking across the table? And also not have to install any type of software for the connection to be enabled? And just as easily, hand the dongle off to the next presenter and have them connected in around 6 seconds? Well, you can with the BenQ InstaShow. And guess what? You can use this technology just as easily at home with a variety of devices. (*Disclosure below.)
Read MoreReview: Creative Nova Portable Bluetooth Smart Speaker & Lamp Does It All
If you have anything “smart” in your smart home, you probably have a speaker that is hooked into Amazon, Google, or Apple. And, I’m going to guess that the speaker is probably plugged into a wall somewhere for power and uses WiFi to enable its smart connectivity. Well, it’s time to cut those power cords (not literally, of course) and get a smart speaker that is portable and battery-powered, and that does a whole lot more. If that is interesting to you, you must take a look at the Creative Nova. It encapsulates many of the features we all want and “need” in a smart speaker, but then keeps going in terms of features and functionality. (*Disclosure below.)
Read MoreThese 17 Features of the 2019 Chevy Silverado Surprised Me & My Family
I’m not really a “truck guy.” Yes, I have test driven a few, and I have borrowed my friends’ trucks occasionally. I definitely see the utility of using a truck for hauling things or going to places that a regular car probably couldn’t travel to. But, after spending a week driving to, from, and around Lake Tahoe in the 2019 Chevy Silverado 2WD RST DBL, I suddenly feel like a truck is much more than a mere utility vehicle. The Silverado was not only comfortable and could haul a lot of vacation luggage, but it was also actually fun to drive, complete with plenty of car tech to make this HighTechDad happy. (*Disclosure below.)
Read MoreHey Google, Buy a Lenovo Smart Clock For Father’s Day (or Any Day) – Review
I finally replaced the old monochrome clock radio that is sitting next to my bed for the past decade or so. The tiny green LED display was hard to read, setting the time was a pain in the butt, and the alarm was really obnoxious, so much so, I stopped setting the alarm. But now, I suddenly have a renewed interest in a bedside clock. Why? Because I just set up the new Lenovo Smart Clock which has integration with Google Home and has Google Assistant built in. I was a bit worried about having a bright, 4” screen in my bedroom, but in the end, I was quite pleased with how this smart clock works in the bedroom. (*Disclosure below.)
Read MoreAdobe Creative Cloud – A Pefect Platform to Test, Learn, and Create
For many, many years, I cobbled together apps that attempted to mirror Adobe Creative Suite. These ranged from Open Source to other paid Mac applications that had many of the functions of various applications contained within the Adobe Creative Suite of products. And, for the most part, I was able to mimic much of the functionality. But, the experience using multiple apps by multiple software vendors was disjointed and somewhat crippled. I found, through a lot of trial and error, numerous installs and other tests, that the functionality was simply not the same. Adobe Creative Cloud, a subscription-based service offering many of Adobe’s flagship products, offers designers, creators, artists, and anyone with any type of creative instinct a way to test and experience an onramp to creativity in general. This was, in fact, my experience as I used many apps to unleash creative at work and on personal projects.
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