Feel Your Music Everywhere – Bass Egg

June 13, 2014 by Raul Colon

Every year during March I do my annual pilgrimage with a bunch of other geeks over to Austin during the South by Southwest Interactive Festival.

I usually find something unique at the tradeshow and this year it happened to be Bass Egg.

I was walking with Antuan, a designer from Puerto Rico, when he brought me over to the Bass Egg booth where they were demonstrating what pretty much looked like a futuristic egg, where a tiny robot would hatch from at any moment.

I was amazed at how it created sound via vibrations, making any surface it sat on, a speaker. I demoed the product and spoke to John P. one of their representatives mentioning the fact that I would like to review one for this blog. I emailed them after SXSW and in a matter of a few days, I got my review sample for the Bass Egg.

Easy To Carry Everywhere

For the past few months I have taken the Bass Egg around the Island and even on my latest trip to Chicago where it was played over the largest surface I have tried yet, hardwood floor that was installed in the 1960’s.

Experimenting with Surfaces

What I like about this product is how even the packaging makes you get creative.

Here are a couple of surfaces I remember experimenting on:

my body board on the fiberglass side
my new wooden desk
the Misfit Can made out of aluminum
a mop bucket ( I have to say I really liked how it produced sound on that, a plastic cooler
My favorite, especially for the beach, the same box it came in which was so well designed and sturdy.

Very Practical To Travel With

Yes, the creativity of where you can place it is the thing I mostly enjoy. But the practical aspect of me being able to take a bluetooth speaker where I can enjoy some music with my family and those around me, is where I see the best value for its money. I have a few bluetooth speakers but taking them everywhere is not something I can easily do. With the Bass Egg, I slip into my carry on luggage or my day to day bag, and it does not take much space.

Sound Quality

The Bass Egg is probably not made for you to listen to Music when your priority is crystal clear sound quality. Depending on the surface you place the Bass Egg, it will give you a different experience.

You Get to Feel the Music

I enjoy the Bass Egg when I listen to Calle 13 or Bob Marley music that has a bit of a kick to it.

On the beach, the Bass Egg helps me feel the reggae beats which helps me lift my spirits while I am looking over the horizon.

If you’re looking for a cool speaker to carry everywhere, a space saver, and plays sounds that will lift your spirits, feel free to purchase a Bass Egg.

Disclosure: I requested a review sample of the Bass Egg and was given a review sample in exchange for using it and sharing my experience with the device.

Mophie Best Solution for IOS7 Battery Drain

October 18, 2013 by Raul Colon

These last few days I have been leaving the house more often and going to meetings. I normally take care of clients from the comfort of my home office. I don’t worry much about not having enough battery on my phone because I can always plug it to the charger or use Lucy’s phone.

Mophie iPhone External Battery Pack for iOS 7 Battery Drain

Since I upgraded to iOS 7 I realize that my phone has been eating up my battery very quickly. Many of the features of iOS 7 are pretty neat and very practical but having the battery go out faster is definitely a negative aspect.

I usually carry two external batteries (a Powerstation and a Juice Pack Helium) all the time in my laptop bag because I never want to be disconnected from my clients.

Protective Case and No Cables Needed

For me the easiest battery to carry is the Juice Pack Helium Case for the iPhone 5. I don’t have to carry any extra cables and it also serves as a case to protect my phone. This is actually the 4th Mophie product I own without counting the many times I have bought these as a practical gift to family and friends because of the awesome customer service their team has given me.

There are a few tricks to help you save battery but if you find useful those iOS 7 features that eat your battery, I recommend carrying an extra battery pack for your Mophie.

I am also very thankful of Victor Henley from the Mophie Marketing team for giving me a complimentary battery charger for my iPhone 5 this past March at SXSWi.

So if you want to make sure your not going to run out of battery and if you live in the tropics during Hurricane Season, its probably a good idea to have a few these around.

Disclosure: Even though our Complimentary Sample of the Mophie Juice Pack Helium was given to me by the Mophie Sales Team , we don’t feel that this influenced the writing of this post in any way.

It’s Not Only Waterproof, It’s Really Lifeproof

September 2, 2013 by Raul Colon

This past March while at SXSW 2013 I was handed a case by the LifeProof Marketing and Public Relations team, Natalie Barreiro & Barbara Meyer, for my most used gadget the iPhone 5 .

Till this day I have the Lifeproof case on my iPhone 5 . Since I live in front of the beach I tend to be in the water often and surrounded by sand if we spend some time outside.

Capturing Moments in the Water

I initially thought it would be great to have the lifeproof so I could take pictures of our family in the water and even take videos of some of the fun.

Yes I do use the Lifeproof in water (and high humidity) in different ways than I initially thought I would use it.

Less Stress during activities

I have less stress using my iPhone 5 with my Lifeproof case when I do the following:

Go for a run

Living on a tropical island it is very common to go for a 6 mile run and then get hit with a rain shower or two along the way. That mixed with the sweat from running can bring a lot of humidity to my phone. With the Lifeproof I no longer have to put my phone inside a ziploc bag. I can quickly pop my phone in my armband and run.

Kayaking

My friend Melvin invites me to go Kayaking every once in a while. I also received a Lifeproof Lifejacket to make sure I could take my phone and not have it sink in the ocean. Now I can take pictures of our coast from a Kayak.

Parenting

There are many occasions where my daughter is playing with water or simply moving liquids from one side to the other near my phone. On other occasions I might take her out to the beach for a few minutes and I want to have my phone handy in case of any emergency. If I have to jump into the water to ensure the safety of my toddler, I don’t have to have the after thought of a damaged phone because of the Lifeproof case.

Headache Proof

In the past when I had accidents with my iOS Apple devices, I realized that it is critical for me to protect them from what can be an expensive and very complicated process of replacing one. I replaced my Macbook Pro 13 inch because I spilled Ginger Ale on it. I wish I had my laptop in a Lifeproof at that moment.

Protected from Falls

Knowing that my Lifeproof also protects the phone from falls while being very light keeps me wanting to favor the Lifeproof over any other case.

I have also seen many other professionals such as chef’s, bakers, and mechanics that have to get messy to do their jobs use the Lifeproof so they can have their phone handy and out of harms way when they are working.

After using the Lifeproof for many months, I have to say that I highly recommend the case.

Every picture on this post was taken seamlessly with my iPhone 5 in the Lifeproof case.

Disclosure: Even though we received a review sample of the Reyneau iPhone 5 case, we don’t feel that this influenced the writing of this post in any way.

Runnur Making Empty Pockets a Good Thing

June 15, 2012 by Raul Colon

The Runnur Mini Backpack

Since I got back from SXSW you might have seen me walking around with what looks a mix between a messenger bag sling and a fanny pack.

While walking on the SXSW tradeshow floor, I encountered a booth that was selling an item called Runnur (Affiliate Link). As soon as I saw it, knew I had to buy one.

I bought one knowing that I had made a good purchase. Andrew Hamra, founder of Runnur, convinced me by pointing out how stuffed my pockets where.

For some reason when I am running from one place to the other (it gets even worst when travelling and in a conference like SXSW) I tend to continue to stuff my pockets.

The biggest issue is when I misplace my debit card and I need to pay for something, I have stuffed it into the black hole of my jeans. Not only do I waste the time of those behind me, but also I waste my own time. Another inconvenience is loosing my hotel key or not being able to find it amongst the dozens of biz cards I have received during the day.

What is in my Runnur?

Depending where I am headed, I may carry various things in my Runnur such as:

Keys to my Car
Extra Business Cards
USB Cable for my Phone
Mophie Juice Pack (extra battery)
Small Knife
Wallet
My iPhone
Sunglasses (Safely Stored)
My ID
A Pen or Two
Emergency Cash
Point and Shoot Camera

I also tend to hang a baseball cap on the carabiner. If I have to go out for groceries, I just grab the Runnur and go.

RIMG0541-300x225 Runnur Making Empty Pockets a Good Thing — Internal built in wallet with slots to store and organize cards and cash.

RIMG0540-300x225 Runnur Making Empty Pockets a Good Thing — You can place your ID or Badge here!

RIMG0539-300x225 Runnur Making Empty Pockets a Good Thing — Your Pens or pencils are accesible.

RIMG0538-300x225 Runnur Making Empty Pockets a Good Thing — Two Lower Front Pockets I store iPhone & Wallet.

RIMG0537-300x225 Runnur Making Empty Pockets a Good Thing — Lower front pocket with carabiner. Makes it also easy to hang my keys and when carrying groceries or my toddler I can open my vehicle.

RIMG0536-300x225 Runnur Making Empty Pockets a Good Thing — Inside Pocket.

RIMG0535-300x225 Runnur Making Empty Pockets a Good Thing — Back Pocket to hole a bottle of water or your favorite liquid.

RIMG0533-300x225 Runnur Making Empty Pockets a Good Thing — Safe storage for you eyewear.

Grab and Go

In case of an emergency or just being in a hurry, storing things in one place when leaving home is priceless. I tend to leave things separated and have a bad habit of leaving my wallet in one set of pants and my keys in one of the many rooms. I set up an accessible place where we could hang both of our Runnurs.

RIMG0531-225x300 Runnur Making Empty Pockets a Good Thing — Ready to go notice the baseball cap at the bottom!

This way I am able to get in the car by just grabbing one item; my Runnur.

The Runnur has saved me a few headaches when it comes to not loosing items also. I tend to lose my debit cards quite frequently and since I got my Runnur I have not lost one.

Overall the runnur has helped me get organized, walk with all my gadgets and widgets, and save me time looking for things I usually lose around the house.

I highly recommend the Runnur and if you are always on the go and want to carry many things without bulking up your pockets the Runnur is the way to go!

Get Yourself a Runnur…

Review Awesome Modern Tailor Shirts

September 20, 2011 by Raul Colon

A few weeks ago I was approached by my previous client @alexklevine of the opportunity of receiving custom tailored shirts with the agreement for me to share the experience on my blog.

I got an email from Leah at moderntailor.com with some instructions on how to make the order and go thru the process of ordering my tailored shirt online.

Fun Process

Once I started with the process it was really neat for you to build a shirt with many options and choosing every element. For example I like to wear shirts with cuffs. But many times I find that the shirts that do have cuffs are not my size or not my style.

You start off by choosing all the elements,shirt fabric, shirt color, neck style, buttons, pocket style, shirt bottom style, back style, cuff style, option to include a monogram and many others.

I went step by step choosing every element carefully and making sure that they would complement well.

Once you build your shirt you have the opportunity to choose a standard size (small, Medium, Large, etc) or for you to enter your body measurements to have the shirt tailored and fitted to your body.

On my first attempt I did not follow instructions and ended up creating a shirt that fit perfectly everywhere except my chest. So if you are taking this route feel free to order there measuring kit or even better yet make sure you follow the simple instructions and don’t cheat yourself.

Once the shirt has been created then you make your order which takes a few days depending on your location. I received the shirt here in Puerto Rico and it did not take more than a week after I ordered it.

I Recommend Modern Tailor to!

I guess that any person having issues like me with finding shirts that fit them well. We all have different body types in my case I have a 18 ½” neck which makes all my shirts extremely large for the rest of my upper body. Being able to get a shirt with that exact measurement helps me without having to have hte shirt fitted later. If you are a big guy like my brother Javier it gets even worst when your neck size is 22″+. So anyone that has issues buying shirts at a store should give Moderntailor.com a try.

If you are also very into customizing your look into a specific style Moderntailor can help you do that with many more options that can be created by yourself.

In my case I wish I could even more creative and I do think I did a good job choosing the elements of my shirt.

Another unique thing is that you get an email on how your shirt will look when it arrives.

I wore r my shirt last weeks at the Inbound Marketing Summit in Boston where I spent time with a good friends and got the opportunity to see presentations from from Guy Kawasaki, Chris Brogan, and a few other individuals I admire .

Take a look at Moderntailor and let me know what you think?

Disclaimer: Even though our we received a Complimentary Shirt on behalf of ModernTailor.com, we don’t feel that this influenced the writing of this post in any way.