Review

Hands-On: Ozmo Smart Water Bottle

Mike Hudson

A water bottle with smarts

As a big fan of the Apple Ecosystem, I am very much used to entering my vitals into the Apple Health App. One area which I am not very good at is maintaining my levels of hydration. I have a busy schedule, a stressful job and a whole host of other excuses I can use…

As an Apple Watch and smart scales owner most of my vitals are already automatically pushed to the health app, and although I’ve tried using many hydration tracking apps I often forget to update them. Which is when I decided a ‘smart bottle’ was the way to go. After a little bit of research, I settled on the Ozmo Smart Water Bottle.

Hands-On: Ozmo Smart Water Bottle

I’ve owned the water bottle since July 2018, so I think it’s fair that I make note of my thoughts on the bottle. Overall I am impressed with it, there are some pitfalls and some annoyances, but they don’t bother me enough to dump it and find a replacement.

Design

The overall design of the bottle I think is good, it’s ergonomic and fits well in your hand, it also has a handy carry handle on the top, which unlike some others is fixed in place. I actually like this. The lid on the top of the bottle does a good job of filling the spout to prevent any leakage once full. Which I’ve proved to work perfectly, as I’ve hopped around the house on crutches whilst holding the bottle.

Smarts

The Ozmo iPhone app looks like it was designed for the iPhone 5, and doesn’t scale well at all on newer iPhone models. Definitely not well on my iPhone X. However, I am happy to dismiss this, as that’s not so important to me. What does get tricky sometimes is the keyboard often lays over and doesn’t collapse correctly on some of the screens, which renders the application next to useless at times. It does also seem to have a tendency to crash frequently. Although the Ozmo brand and company look well established with a range of smart hydration tracking products for sale, the iOS app is definitely an afterthought.

Although the Ozmo app leaves a lot to be desired, the measuring of the fluids, your intake and the reminders given by the bottle work well. Inside the bottle is a channel which contains sensors to measure how much fluid you’ve consumed. This is transferred via Bluetooth to the Ozmo app and then from there is synced to the Apple Health app without issue. The bottle is also smart enough to know if you’re drinking a cold or hot drink!

Function

As I am trying to improve my levels of hydration, I generally (more often than not) use the bottle for cold drinks (mainly water), for which the bottle functions perfectly fine delivering everything you’d expect (no leaks). I have on occasion used the bottle to carry hot coffee, and each time I have I’ve been impressed with the length of time the bottle keeps the drink piping hot. So much so that almost the first thing I do when I sit down without is remove the lid to allow it to cool a bit quicker. All in all, I can’t argue with the function at all – it really does what it says on the tin… (or website at least)

Price

When I purchased the Ozmo bottle it was much cheaper then it is now (by at least £10) so I think I’d be reluctant to pay the £45.65 price quoted on amazon currently. Perhaps if/when the bottle is on offer again, I’d be tempted.

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Review: Rocket League

Rocket League

Hands On:


One of the best types of games is that which allows you to have a lot of fun without too many rules or complications. This is exactly what happened with Rocket League, a game that has appeared out of nowhere and which is now transformed into an e-sport within less than a week after its release.

What makes this game so impressive is the fact that it’s a vehicle based action game and it seamlessly combined RC car driving with soccer. You will play on different fields and the main idea is to work with your team, which can be formed out of 2, 3 or 4 individuals in order to score as many goals within the limited amount of time. (more…)

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Review Ozeri WeightMaster II Digital Bathroom Scale

Mike Hudson

Ozeri WeightMaster II

Hands On:

On taking the scales out of the box, I was immediately impressed by the build quality of this instrument.
The scales are very tactile and Have been ergonomically designed, The top of the scales is warm to the touch and feel comfortable when you stand on them in your bare feet. the surface of the scales has been treated with microban antibacterial material which is a bonus when standing on the scales one different people stand on scales in their feet.

The scales can be utilised by up to eight different users, each one can set up their own profile on the scales and then subsequently the scales will automatically recognise the user by their weight.
(more…)

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4X3 Motion Digital Pedometer review

Mike Hudson

4x3 Pedometer

The 4×3 Motion Digital Pedometer is an utra slim digital pedometer that is small enough to slip into the smallest pocket, plus it is supplied with a lanyard that allows the user to wear it around his or her neck.

The manufacturers claim that it provides superior accuracy in any position using the worlds most advanced Tri-Axis Technology thanks to its built-in 3D  Tri-axis motion sensor which measures vertical, horizontal, and sideways movement.

The pedometer tracks the wearers distance travelled, their speed, and the number of calories burned. it will count up to one million steps, and has a useful 7 day memory option which re-sets itself at midnight every night so that each days activity is measured individually and totalled up at the end of the week. the display also offers a sports timer, a digital clock, and a calendar, all of which can be viewed at night thanks to the blue backlight. all of this is powered by a small lithium battery which is provided and is pre-installed in the pedometer, there is a clear plastic isolator strip protruding from behind the battery casing cover which pulls out to allow the battery to connect when you loosen the small retaining screw on the battery cover using the small pozi headed screwdriver that is thoughtfully supplied with the pedometer.

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PicStick – Personalised Posted Photo Magnets

Mike Hudson

picstickSince the introduction of the very first digital camera, and even more so the photo capable mobile phone – physical prints of photos has rapidly become something for only the most treasured picture. No longer are people traipsing down the shops with the film canisters in hand, hunting for the 1-hour photo processing shops.

However – a physical print of that moment in time encases it, enabling endless enjoyment and whats more, they make excellent gifts.

Many companies spotted this opportunity and gap in the market to provide physical prints from digital media. Some offering first class service, allowing printing on everything from a mouse mat to a xylophone.. With options comes complexity, and some services out there require a degree in computer science to work! That was until now, a new kid on the block, PicStick has reared up from the myriad of web-based services – to offer a no fuss solution to personalised magnets!

(more…)

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