Technology

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ONNO Hemp and Bamboo T-Shirt Review

I had a problem in my bed for a long time. It was hot under the bed sheets. Even with air conditioning I still woke up hot. It took a while to figure out a solution, but I did. I switched to bamboo bed sheets. This switch made me feel refreshed and ready to go after the first night of using them. I then thought if these sheets can make me feel that good why don’t I look at what I’m wearing and find better alternatives. We walk around throughout the day feeling hot and getting sweaty. Does it have to be like that?

I typically wear t-shirts and shorts. I thought that most of what I wore was cotton. However it tended to be more of a mixture of cotton and polyester, which simply put isn’t great for a variety of reasons. It took a while for me to find a replacement of basic colors with a good alternative material. I found the ONNO T-Shirt Company based in Boulder Colorado, which turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. T-shirts made with more thought and care for the people who wear them. They go as far as buying carbon offsets to balance out their environmental impact.

I never previously felt a bamboo or hemp tshirt. I had big hopes for the bamboo tshirt based on my bed sheets, but that was it. I bought their white color bamboo and hemp tshirts to compare. Lets just saw I loved both, but immediately ordered more bamboo tshirts. The bamboo tshirt was so soft and smooth. I knew it would be great for lounging around the house, hanging around outside, and going through more strenuous exercise at the gym. The tshirt is made up of 70% viscose from organic bamboo and 30% organic cotton. I don’t think I can ever go back to buying a typical tshirts at the mall. There are 19 different colors so that’s plenty to fill up a closet.

There are three things that are awesome about hemp t-shirts: they help block UV rays, wick moisture, and are antimicrobial. ONNO makes theirs with a 55% hemp, 45% organic cotton blend. The texture feels more like a typical shirt. Although they claim that over time with washes the t-shirt will get softer. The t-shirt itself feels thicker than the bamboo t-shirt, which leads me to being warmer especially in these hot summer days like a typical t-shirt does. I know that I’m going to start wearing the hemp t-shirts once winter rolls around and temperatures become around 60 degrees and below. I usually wear t-shirts in the winter time and freeze. So I know that the extra thickness might go as far as allowing me to wander around without a jacket for longer periods of time.

Bottom line is that I love both t-shirts. I can’t wait to fill my closet up with ONNO t-shirts and donate my old t-shirts. My life has been transformed.

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Hemp Bi-Fold Wallet Review

As we all know after several years of use a leather wallet breaks down and becomes a nasty looking accessory with chips of leather flaking off. Instead of going down that road again with my next wallet, I wanted to pivot and look for alternative wallet styles.

I stumbled upon Hemp Authority, which sells Hempy’s various wallets. Hemp Authority is neat because they aggregate various American hemp products from apparel, accessories, beauty products, etc and strive to ship the products in a sustainable way.

While I can’t fast forward to see how well this hemp wallet holds up over time, I can already see some major differences when compared to a typical leather wallet. With my previous wallet it was super easy to leave a scratch mark with my finger nail, keys, etc. With my finger nail I could scratch over and over Hempy’s wallet and don’t see any scratches. That’s pretty impressive considering that it’s made out of 100% hemp. Who knew it would be that strong.

The Hemp Bi-Fold Wallet matched what I liked most about my old wallet, the plastic ID holder. In fact the way Hempy designed this wallet, there’s a front side plastic card holder and a back side plastic card holder, 8 card slots, and a cash pocket. I was a little afraid at first because the cash pocket is much shorter than I’m used to. However my bills were still able to fit in flat. It’s tall height makes the wallet easy to grip especially as you look for cards/money. The other aspect that helps in this process is the texture of the wallet. It’s both smooth, but rough enough to make it easy to grab out of your pocket.

I’m thrilled to finally replace my crummy old wallet with a hemp wallet that I know will last for a long time and is made in America in an eco-friendly manner.

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Swell Vision Atticus CR39 Sunglass Review

Does it make sense to put plastic on your ears? Most of us do it when we wear typical sunglasses. That idea sent me on a internet quest to find an alternative.

I stumbled upon Swell Vision, which is based out of South Carolina. Their frames are made out of bamboo. Of course this is far more sustainable than plastic! Exploring more about Swell Vision I discovered that they also put part of their sales towards supporting local Balinese children so that they can attend the Green School in Bali, Indonesia.

Within a week of placing the order I received the Atticus CR39 Polarized Bamboo Sunglasses. Immediately after I put them on I noticed multiple differences from my previously regular pair of shades. They are super light weight. Coming in at only 0.9oz you’ll barely feel them on your face or ears. That red pinched nose effect was greatly diminished even after wearing the sunglasses for several hours. The other noticeable difference to me was how breezy my face felt with the sunglasses. There was something to the design that allowed plenty of air flow helping me feel cool.

There’s lots to mention about the lenses as well. They’re CR-39 polycarbonate lenses that are impact resistant. Of course I’ve tried not to drop them to see how resistant they are. The lenses are UV400 which blocks 90-100% of UVA/UVB radiation. They’re polarized with an anti-reflective coating. What this all means is that you’ll see clearer on sunny days. You won’t get that awful glare. You’ll see deeper blacks, but not feel as if the frames make the world too dark. Maintaining the lenses is simple as they include a micro-fiber cloth and pouch.

Across the board these sunglasses hit every mark. They’re a cool design, have eco-friendly frames, are light weight, and have high quality lenses. If you want to be adventurous like me, take the plunge into the world of bamboo frames. They’re simply better than plastic frames.

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Smart Garden 3 Review

If you’ve ever tried to grow a plant you know that there are many hurdles to overcome. Sun, water, nutrients, etc. Every step of the Smart Garden 3 is not just smart, but extremely well thought out.

Within minutes of opening the box my garden was setup. Within two days my seeds sprout. Gauntlet dropped! I live in an apartment that does not have a patio. Getting my previous plants to receive sunlight was a massive challenge that took time and lots of patients. Every morning I put them on the windowsill in my bedroom. At night I had to remove them so I could close the blinds. This process never allowed for direct sunlight. The plants took forever to sprout and quickly died.

With the Smart Garden 3 plug in the light and the LED lights turn on for 16 hours. Then they’ll shut off for 8 hours. This cycle is going to maximize growth. The lights never get too hot, but they are bright. I left them in my living room as I couldn’t sleep with them on in my bedroom. The lights consume only 6 watts. As the plants grow you can raise the height of the LED lights.

The water tank is easy to fill and holds enough water for a month. There’s a buoy in place that you’ll see if the tank is full, the buoy will float to the top. As the water gets used the buoy will sink over time to signal the need for more water.

The Smart Garden 3 comes out of the box with basil pod plants, which the seeds are already placed in the soil. All you do is place the soil capsules into the Smart Garden 3. They call this Smart Soil which they claim releases nutrients in sync with the plant’s life cycle and employs tiny oxygen pockets to guarantee plants get ample breathing room and nutrients even when the soil is wet. Of course you can grow practically any plant you’d like such as basil, thyme, sage, parsley, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, rosemary, peppers, flowers. and even strawberries.

If you’re looking for a easy way to grow fresh foods then the Smart Garden 3 should be right up your alley.

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Martian mVoice Smartwatch Review

What makes a smartwatch smart? I believe that so far the tech and watch industry have yet to figure this out. There has to be a reason why people eagerly buy smartphones, but not smartwatches. Martian has taken a step back and looked at what we think we want in a smartwatch and simplified it.

What do watches do best? They tell time. The Martian mVoice Smartwatch places this first and foremost. Instead of a large digital screen, you have a large analog watch. The OLED screen is located on the bottom face of the watch. To control it there are a couple of push buttons on the side of the watch. On the other side of the watch you’ll find your USB charge port. The analog watch and OLED screen use their own battery. So if you’re smartwatch battery drains completely, you’ll still be able to tell the time.

With all this tech built into the smartwatch it does not feel heavy, get too hot, or feel too bulky. It fits on your wrist just like a regular watch does. Even though the OLD screen is only 96 x 16 pixels, you’re able to read the screen perfectly.

One feature that I know everyone will enjoy is that you can set your Martian mVoice Smartwatch to have your smartphone beep if you get to far away from it. This way you’ll never lose your smartphone again.

Once you pair the Martian mVoice Smartwatch with your smartphone via bluetooth and download the Amazon Alexa app you’re going to find even more cool features. There are literally over 5,000 skills that Alexa has, which you can activate with the Martian mVoice Smartwatch. You won’t have to take out your smartphone to activate these skills. Keep the smartphone in your pocket and simply use your voice with your Martian mVoice Smartwatch to do the activity. You can use the OLED screen to read text messages or even answer phone calls talking via your smartwatch.

This design seems to make for a lot easier and quicker functionalities than what we’ve seen so far in the smartwatch industry. The Martian mVoice Smartwatch is both a watch and a smartwatch and that’s a good thing.

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BeMe D200 Review

Basic earphones are just that, basic. The BeMe D200 earphones are for those in the Apple echosystem who want a more sophisticated way of listening to their favorite songs.

I was shocked when I unboxed the earphones and put them in my ear how quiet the world around me become. Even if you’re not listening to music and simply want to drown out some background noise the BeMe D200 work very well at that.

I plugged the earphones into the iPhone and played some music. It sounded a lot more clear than the standard iPhone earphones. Best of all you won’t need an additional battery to power the active noise cancellation.

The inline remote allows you to quickly adjust the volume, play/pause, answer a call, and adjust ambient noise levels all without touching your iPhone. This remote does add extra weight to the earphones, which I have found causes the earphones to pull the earphones out of my ear. Thankfully a clip is included to attach the cord to your shirt. Also there are four sized ear tips that you can swap on to see which fits into your ear best. Using those two features you should be able to avoid the earphones from falling out.

If you’re an audiophile there’s a beem united app that you can download from the App Store. Here you’ll have 10-band equalizer control and adjust the active noise cancellation.

A carrying pouch is included to help keep your earphones from getting trashed in your purse or backpack.