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When I first started blogging and doing YouTube videos I wanted a powerful Windows machine, one which had the power to get my through things smoothly. I bought a HP Envy 15. Cost me a pretty penny too. I may have tweeted 100 times over the course of owning it with straight abuse towards that laptop. I would receive bluescreens and random non responsive programs. Something you really do not want to see when editing in Premiere. 

It had Windows 7, a stack of RAM, i7 processor, the works. Many people would tell me to switch to a Mac. It would be the cure of my issues.

So I did.

I bought a MacBook Pro 13inch. Fortunately my blog had gotten to a point where I was making a couple of hundred dollars every few months, just from YouTube ad revenue. After a while you tell yourself that you’ll justify the cost with your slow and tiny revenue stream. And truth me told, it was much better. The bluescreens were gone and processing was much faster. 

As a guy who reviews a lot of products I am contacted by brands often to try their products. It’s something I love to do. Lenovo contacted me to try the new Yoga Pro 3 and so I am.

This back story is important to allow you to see where I am coming from. I am no fan boy to either camp. I just want something to work.

The Yoga Pro 3 had a few key differences to BOTH previous laptops:

- Windows 8 (the Envy had Windows 7)

- Touchscreen

- Tablet mode

- Weight, this thing is VERY light

- Sexy, this might be the sexiest piece of hardware I’ve used

Why are they important?

- Windows 8 allows me to really enjoy using a touchscreen on a laptop, it actually makes sense and whenever I now use computers besides the Yoga I am often poking the screen anyway - oops.

- The touchscreen allows this laptop to transform into a tablet, a big one. It is larger than my iPad screen and is just as accurate and responsive. 

- Because this thing swings the whole way around I prefer using tent mode in a lot of occasions. I do radio and love using it as my notes machine. In that mode it sits on the desk nicely and allows me to get things done quickly.

- Being a light machine it saves my shoulder from dislocating when carrying it around between visits

- Sexy can be underestimated. People say so what about looks in laptops but dont tell me that when in an airport lounge that you dont pay attention to what laptop every person has. There is a hinge on this laptop which resembles a watch band. A high end watch band. It is gorgeous and elegant. I can’t explain the beauty of this machine. Go into a store and see it yourself, THEN tell me looks dont matter.

Parrot, the makers of the Flower Power, other hands-free kits and so many other cool gadgets have allowed me to test the Minikit Neo 2 HD. Quite a name.

Basically, it is a visor mount bluetooth speaker/mic. The Minikit Neo 2 HD has a knob which is used to turn the volume up/down with buttons on either side which can be used to answer or decline the calls.

The Minikit Neo 2 HD also has voice controls to allow you to answer/decline calls using your voice entirely. You can also make calls using your voice so keeping that phone buried in your pocket is definitely a possibility.

There is also an app for the Minikit Neo 2 HD which I quite liked. It allowed me to customise some of the settings as well as check simple things like battery levels etc.

So how did it all perform?

Thankfully with the app you can tell the Minikit Neo 2 HD to use the phones voice controls over the Minikit Neo 2 HD built-in version. This is good because well, Apple and Google have better voice assistants.

The speaker and mic on the Minikit Neo 2 HD perform fairly well. I drive a convertible so was curious about how it would perform with some wind in my hair. Forget about it. This product is a windows up, roof on, ears peeled device. The speaker just isn't loud enough to compete with ambient noise and the mic is not targeted enough to provide clarity with wind disturbance. With that said though, when the roof was sealed and windows up it operated rather well. I sounded clear on the other end and I could hear them fairly well also. I would love that speaker to go louder though, I'm 28 so my hearing hasnt faded all that much right?

The battery life on this Minikit Neo 2 HD is sensational. After a week of use (over 1hr per day) the Minikit Neo 2 HD had 60% remaining, really impressive power. The Minikit Neo 2 HD is extremely easy to use and you could give it to a 80 year old to use without a problem. 

The Minikit Neo 2 HD is available now for $129 which is a heck of a lot less than a fine for driving holding the phone - or worse the cost of your life. 

The BlackBerry Classic brings back a few things we have loved about BlackBerry over the years:

- Full physical keyboard

- TouchPad for navigation

- Navigation keys

And that is BEFORE you even turn the device on. 

Within the device you find further features that we love about BlackBerry:

- BlackBerry Hub for finding all your notifications (social, email, SMS etc) in one place

- Secure messaging

- Fast and simple navigation to get tasks done fast

BlackBerry has gone back to the Classic as the last couple of years have been tough for them as they tried to fit in with their competitors who are making consumer driven, all touch, entertainment devices. This device goes back to what brought them their success, the business/enterprise market. They have moved away from being a "me too" product and trying to recreate the iPhone. They are back to being an individual.

It is an interesting experience for me when I go back to using a BlackBerry after using iPhones and Androids primarily for a number of years now.

Firstly, you have to relearn to use a physical keyboard, where your thumbs don't need to just tap, they need to push. Your thumbs relearn what the letter "T" feels like compared to the letter "Y" - and there is a difference. 

Secondly, you rediscover some of the reasons why you left them in the first place. The application ecosystem in BlackBerry World is still not fantastic when I compare the apps I use on iOS to what is available here. BlackBerry has helped this situation a little by adding the Amazon App Store however not all applications are there still, namely; SnapChat and Instagram. I then realised that since last reviewing a BlackBerry - the Z30 - BlackBerry World has now removed Music, Magazines and Movies/TV. Only apps remain. To purchase music I had to download 7 Digital (which was providing their music before in BB World) as a separate app.

There is certainly still some limitations when it comes to BlackBerry and comparing them like for like to an iPhone or Galaxy S5 is not a fair thing to do anymore.

The Classic is a productivity tool. I spent far less time using it because I didn't need to waste time going into each individual application to check my notifications. I jump straight into the Hub, scroll around, reply and I'm done. The BlackBerry allowed me to connect with people online quickly so I could get back to connecting with people in-front of me in less time. There is a reason why people like Kim Kardasian cannot let go of her Bold and also a reason why CEO's and government still prefer them; efficiency.

The Parrot Pot is the next product in their gardening line after their fantastic Flower Power which monitored your plant. The Pot takes the monitoring one step further and allows you to do one of the tasks autonomously. The watering.

The Parrot Pot will keep an eye on your plant and allow you to monitor it via your smartphone. Things like quality of soil, moisture, sunlight etc. When you plant needs water it will pull it from the 2.2L reservoir and feed your plant. The Pot holds enough water to feed your plant for up to 1 month and battery life to do so for up to 1 year. This is fantastic for occasions when you are going on holidays and want your plants to survive the stay at home alone.

BUT - say for example you already have your plant in the ground or in a different - regular - pot. How do you then water it autonomously? Well Parrot have a product called the h2o for that! Seen above you'll notice a small device that sticks in the ground, has all the sensors the Pot has however no reservoir. Instead, you can put any screw bottle onto the device and it will provide water for up to 3 weeks. Again, a lifesaver when you're on holidays.

The event hosted by Panasonic was open to anyone to attend. The drawcard for me was the chance to hear from Ken Duncan, who if you don't know already, is a bloody amazing photographer. Someone who inspired me at a young age to take panoramic photos. Above my desk at work is actually one of his photos named "Paradise" and it really does remind me of somewhere else I would rather be. Anyway.

So, the night was simple, turn up, have some canapes, some drinks, hear from a few experts who do photo and video work WAY beyond what I will likely achieve and the best bit, get hands-on time with any camera Panasonic can throw an SD card in.

The talks were very useful, as expected - a little sales pitch - but with some good nuggets of information that you could use to improve your photography skills as well as learn what lengths some people are going to in order to get that one perfect shot.

During the hands-on breaks I got my hands on the Lumix DMC LX-100 which is a great little camera. Panasonic arranged for two female models and one male magician to sit, pose, act, juggle etc so that we can feel like real photographers.

It was really worthwhile, one thing I noticed was how much of a difference the use of lights can make to the photo, the slightest adjustment made large changes to my shots. 

The final session with Ken Duncan was very casual and informative, honestly, writing this right now and all I want to really do is go outside and shoot! Ken was a busy guy through the evening, taking pictures of the models, meeting the guests and even I managed a quick chat with him. A real gentleman with time for everyone. 

Headphones? Check

Wireless headphones? That too!

NFC for easy pairing? Yep

Light for running? Yep

Water resistant? Yep

READS YOUR HEART RATE? YES!

Wait what?

The Jabra Pulse plays music into your ears but also uses those little buds to read your heart rate. They nuzzle into your ears and read your heart rate, sending that message to your smartphone which is tracking your run via GPS on a map. All of this data paired together is a very powerful combination and it only takes your smartphone and these earphones. Sounds too good to be true.

During my time with the Jabra Pulse, and I've had plenty of time with it, I got to know it quite well. It does everything I described above really well. From the beginning it takes you through a tutorial to ensure that your headphones have the correct fit to ensure that the heart rate can be read properly. I appreciated that. 

I ran with them and have no issue with them coming loose. The heart rate was recorded every 0.5 seconds to I could look back on my data and see my speed, location and heart rate, very cool. Every so often the app would read out statistics to me also, things like average heart rate, distance travels, average speed etc. When I am listening to music this did become a little annoying and fortunately you can turn that off or change how often it speaks to you.

They earphones are a little pricey and it isnt really surprising, it is a lot of devices packed into one product and it works really well.

Such a warm morning, beautiful for a run to test the Jabra Pulse.

A photo posted by gquattromani (@gquattromani) on Oct 10, 2014 at 12:39pm PDT

I have been testing a bluetooth toothbrush for a little over a week now and honestly, I'm impressed. 

My first reaction when I received the Oral-B SmartSeries 7000 toothbrush was "WHY?". I already had an Oral-B electric toothbrush and it did the job. It actually used the same brush heads and similar motors to this one so why was this any better?

It became clear when I was told to install the app which connects with the Oral-B toothbrush via Bluetooth. The app allows you to customise the way you focus your brushing. For example, on a recent visit to the dentist I was told to focus my cleaning more around the lower jaw at the back of the teeth, I always find it hard to reach and as a result my dentist could tell.  The app allows you to select areas you need to focus on and as a result during the brushing it gives you extra time to focus on that area. The app will literally guide your brushing through each quadrant to ensure that you spend enough time cleaning your MOUTH. 

I say "mouth" because even after brushing the app will prompt you to clean your tongue, floss and mouthwash.

This all happens while the app displays the news, weather and your agenda items, very handy distraction to your brushing. 

The Oral-B SmartSeries 7000 shipped with a premium travel case too which is just beautiful, it is classy. Which lead me to wonder, what if I travel and don't brush with my phone/app open? Fortunately, the brush itself is able to remember the times and duration of your brushing to sync back to the app when you are able to. 

The next logical step in all of this is to have the correct answer for your dentist when they ask "so, how often are you brushing?". At the moment you are able to show them the data in the app, by day/week or month and go into deeper detail even showing when you pushed too hard. It is very close to being able to update your dentist in real-time when and how well you are brushing so that before you even show up, they'll know what you've been up to.

I am a huge fan of the internet of things and everything being connected. I am thoroughly impressed with the Oral-B SmartSeries 7000, not because it is the best toothbrush ever (you could buy many other electric toothbrushes that brush the same way) but because this toothbrush, paired with the app just works together so well. It makes you wonder why this hasn't been around for years already. 

Symantec, the makers of Norton, sell a fantastic lineup of products that go towards protecting your computers, phones and tablets online. They can help you with virus, malware, spyware and phishing protection but they can't assist you one on one when you suffer from bullying online.

BeyondBlue is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to help the 3.6 million people in Australia suffering from depression and anxiety. More and more they are seeing this caused by abuse people face online.

The $260,000 donation from Symantec will go towards helping BeyondBlue provide the necessary resources to help Australians with no cost.

Cyberbullying Prevention Tips

Use caution when giving out mobile phone numbers or email addresses, or other social media contact information.

Do not reply to threatening or disturbing emails, as this will only encourage the bully. If others in a chat or online discussion become unpleasant, leave the conversation.

Make use of the privacy and security settings on social networking sites, as this will prevent bullies from seeing information they can use against their victims.

If a child is being cyberbullied they should tell someone they trust, whether it is a friend, parent, teacher, or other person who works with youth.

Keep any emails, messages, or texts as evidence of the bullying and block email addresses or specific users on certain social networks, so messages are no longer received.

If you need to speak with someone about cyberbullying, depression or anxiety, contact beyondblue [email protected] or 1300 224 636.

My video above gives you a quick run through of how it all comes together on the Pioneer head-unit. 

Some points about this though:

Driving and using your phone is illegal and not safe. This solution resolves that problem immediately, and just for that - I like it.

If you like Siri then a lot of the features in this car will like you back. Siri is heavily used here to send SMS messages and to make calls. It works just like Siri on your phone (which I use a lot already) and found it to respond to my voice fairly well.

Developers should focus on making more apps work on CarPlay BUT there needs to be rules as to what should and what shouldn't be allowed on the dash. I use my email a lot but wouldnt want it on my dash, that distraction would be dangerous. Notifications are fine, but not interaction on that level.

People change phones every two years normally, yet the car can live in the family for ten years or more sometimes. Are you committing yourself to Apple by buying this head-unit? Not entirely. It does have all your normal features including bluetooth for pairing any other phone you like but it is a question worth asking yourself if it means spending extra money for this head-unit.

Many car manufacturers have committed to adding CarPlay in future cars, including Ferrari. I think this is a fantastic initiative but would love a solution for all phone manufacturers also. Windows Phone, Android, heck - even BlackBerry users have nothing that compares to this. 

With all the above said... I am now investigating what it takes to fit this head-unit into my car.

I am currently listening to The Jezabels as I write this review and sitting a little more than a meter away from me is the Bose SoundLink Colour (this one is black, which isn't really a colour but anyway) which is providing the volume. 

The sound is really "solid" with decent bass and a smooth spread of tone through the range, my music sounds great and I am barely pushing the limits of the speaker. It continues to surprise me that this relatively small speaker is producing such a decent sounding experience.

I have it running on battery too, Bose claims it'll run for 8 hours on battery alone and I'd agree.

So what is this speaker? It's simple bluetooth speaker that will connect to your phone, tablet, laptop etc with ease. For non bluetooth devices like an older iPod for example the Sound Link Colour has an auxiliary jack for simple 3.5mm audio input. Charging this speaker is awesome too, microUSB input means that your non-iPhone charger will likely be able to work on this speaker. Bose supplies a slimline charger anyway.

Using the device is easy, simple buttons on the top for power, input mode, playback control and audio. Your blind neighbour could use this.

Turning the volume up is a pleasure, it'll fill a room with sound and your guests will wonder where the heck the sound is coming from. 

My only complaint with this product is that in terms of design, it doesnt have the pure sexiness that I usually see from the Bose range. The Bose branding on the front looks like it was stuck on. If the branding wasnt there then you would easily mistake it for something bought at the local markets. Fortunately, once it is powered on none of that matters, you have a great sounding speaker and a VERY low price.

The volume for my morning tunes is supplied by @Bose_Australia SoundLink Colour. Decent punch for its size! pic.twitter.com/0ll8Xc7NmJ

— Geoff Quattromani (@GQuattromani)

October 4, 2014