When it comes to products designed to help around the home, there are a lot of options out there that range from cool looking gadgets that don't really work to practical ones that are rather mundane. That's a challenge for anyone looking to buy something as a gift for those special men in their lives. On one hand, you can pick something that just looks cool - or you can get him something that he will actually be able to use and appreciate. Luckily, the Sidekick Stool and Blade Light that we received has the best of both categories.

Flipflops need to be fun as well as comfortable and all too often, men's fashion seems stuck in the "practical" category while women get all the fun. No longer though! AhhSoles sent me their new line of flipflops that are colorful, fun, and fun to say too...

I bet you thought that your mobile phone was safe from being attacked by viruses. In the past, this was true but with billions of mobile devices in use today hackers are targeting mobile devices too. However, while there are some of the same risks such as protecting against "bad websites" and malicious files, AVG AntiVirus does a lot more to help protect and secure your phone or tablet.

Most travelers assume that their trips will be uneventful, but sadly the more often you travel it becomes increasingly clear that anything can - and will happen. It's just a matter of time before it happens to you and that's why travel insurance is an important thing for you to consider. While insurance won't prevent something from happening, it's your hedge against a bad event being worse than it needs to be. Unfortunately, one of the biggest reasons that many of us choose not to purchase this service is that claims can be difficult to submit and process - especially while traveling, and the money never seems to come in time. After all, when you are traveling and the airlines lose your bag - you want that compensation ASAP, not after you return home. Luckily, companies like Allianz Global Assistance are listening to customers and they have developed a new app to help make things easier.

There are hundreds of tasks every homeowner must face, but two are especially monotonous and require constant work without any real reward - other than the satisfaction of knowing nothing changed. The first is vacuuming the floors and the second is mowing the lawn. Thankfully, we've had robot vacuum cleaners for a few years now and they've gotten to the point where it's almost like they are part of the family. On the other hand, we men still sweat in the yard pushing a mower around. Honda wants to fix that and give us some relief, so they are introducing Miimo in the US market this summer. We got a preview of their Miimo robot lawn mower last week and I think a lot of you are going to put it on your Father's Day wish lists this year!

Roku sent me one of their Roku Ultra units to test out on a trip, so I was excited to give it a whirl! Hotel TV's and cable packages have gotten a lot better in the past few years. As a kid I remember getting excited to see the "Free HBO!" sign, while today you generally see a large flat screen TV in your room with a moderate assortment of channels to help you relax before bed. The problem here though is exactly why so many people (including me) are cutting cable from our own homes. It's the programming. Unfortunately, there's very little that the hotels and resorts can do aside from what some have graciously done by providing accessible HDMI and other ports. This allows me to bring my own content and cut the cord when I travel.

If you are looking for the ultimate TV for cord-cutters then look no further, this TCL Roku TV is a fantastic product at a fabulous price. And so are it's bigger brothers and sisters if you need something larger than 40" with 4K support. For just under $300 though, you really can't go wrong with this TCL Roku TV (model 40FS3800). I'm an active user of both Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV, but frankly speaking Roku has them beat.

Whether it's going out to watch a concert at a park, a soccer game, or just visiting friends, it can be a pain in the butt if you have a kid. While this ciao! baby high chair can't make everything about traveling with an infant easier, it does help. What the company has done is create a great portable travel high-chair that is easy to take with you wherever you might be headed. 

I love travel backpacks, it's such an easy solution these days where bags can cost money to check but "backpacks" are considered personal items. While some that have reviewed stretch those boundaries, I found that Travel Pack sent to me by Aer to be very smartly designed and had a killer feature that makes it perfect for overnight business trips.

Remember back in high school - or your last cruise - when you might have been suspected of sneaking vodka disguised in a water bottle? Well that's the premise here too. It's a gimmick plain and simple but luckily the water bottles are actually well designed and have great visual appeal as well.

After wandering the halls of the Consumer Electronics Show a few weeks ago it was clear that virtually everything going forward will be "smart" or at least connected. That includes not just stuff traditionally in the domain of guys like garage door openers, security cameras, and thermostats but virtually everything in your house will soon be connected. For me as a total gadget geek this leaves a question in my mind - "What if I want to check out stuff designed for her?" Luckily, with Valentine's Day coming up you have an opportunity to make her happy by giving her something awesome while also getting a chance to expand the reach of your inner gadget geek!

A few weeks ago, I was invited to speak at Zmodo's CES booth about smart home technology and how it's changing lives. This is a topic that I am particularly passionate about since it has the potential to turn the boxes we call homes and truely turn them into something special. Over the past several decades we've been chasing this ideal with rudimentary switches to turn things on and off, but few companies are actually approaching the point where they are able to bring everything together and that's one of the reasons I love the folks at Zmodo.

I've been searching for the perfect tripod for a while now - something that is small enough to fit easily into my carry-on luggage, but capable enough for use with both my phone camera and my DSLR. The MeFOTO Backpacker Air travel tripod comes as close as any that I've experienced so far and makes a great addition to my travel gear. 

Each time I go out, it's time to make decisions - do I just go with only my phone? Or, should I take my laptop and tablet too? I've tested a lot of keyboards for iPad and honestly most of them fall short, so I was really impressed with Brydge since it looks great, is well manufactured, and when connected, it feels sturdy - almost like it was a first party add on rather than a manufacturer other than Apple itself. Because of this, for many trips - and especially quick business meetings and offsite brainstorming sessions - this keyboard makes it possible to leave the laptop at home.

One of the toughest things about setting New Years resolutions is that it's "just words". This year though, C+A Global a company that you might never have heard of (till now!), but is a global company matching innovative design with an extensive portfolio of brands including Zink, Polaroid, and Gold's Gym. As a blogger, I get spoiled by the latest and greatest products with the most amazing features so I was very impressed with what C+A Global presented when I met with them at CES. Instead of focusing just on aspirational products that you'll never be able to afford, they are producing the products you need and want... at a price you can afford. Over the next few months, we'll be highlighting a few of their products here, but let's kick things off by exploring how these products can help me... and you... make the most of our New Years resolutions!

It would have been easy to simply bang out a few hundred words about how nice these boots looked and felt five minutes after opening the box and trying them on for the first time. However, it was clear that what Ice Bug sent me wasn't those kind of shoes. They pretty much begged to get out and explore... so I honored their request! Since September, these boots have climbed sandstone mesas in San Diego, hiked through Germany's Black Forest and explored the prairies of North Dakota as well as the mountains of Idaho and deserts of California. 

There's no shortage of companies selling wireless speakers out there, but I have a special place in my heart for products from Tivoli Audio since they not only sound great - but look great too and tend to be very high-quality construction. That's certainly the case with the Tivoli Sphera speaker from their Audio Art collection too!

When it comes to gift giving, sometimes those over-the-top items are just perfect and so we were excited to test out the Oral-B Genius electric toothbrush. Never in my life did I expect to ever be the owner of a toothbrush that connected to my camera through Bluetooth so it could monitor my brushing pasterns, but here we are... thanks Oral-B! At $249.99, this isn't the cheapest item on our gift list for guys but it is a perfect idea for someone who wants to combine smart home technology with looking great.

As winter approaches, there’s few things more essential than a sturdy pair of trail crampons for hiking, running, or simply walking across packed snow and ice. I mean what’s more literal about freedom than how you move on two feet?

I think I may have found the ultimate camera bag provides me with exactly what I need. What I have been searching for. I now have ONE BAG to house all of my gear when I travel. This Roadie 22" Backpack by Tenba is pretty close to my dream camera bag. It is sturdy and "Carry On" compatible, with lots of space to store gear - while still having a little room for a change of clothes and other incidentals like toiletries. At one point, I was happy with a standard carry on and a small camera bag but as I started to need more gear on trips - laptop, tablet, gopro, tripod, DSLR, lenses, filters, chargers, cables, etc. my needs grew exponentially. However, after just a few days of receiving the Tenba Roadie 22", I'm pretty sure I've found exactly what I have been searching for.