halo Archives - My Life: A Work in Progress

Review: Halo flashlights (practical and stylish)

21 December, 2013 16 Comments

I love anything that’s useful and stylish! Why not be both?

Did you catch my post on Pocket Power portable chargers? And Ruth’s post on the Scanner Mouse? Halo also sent me several of their flashlights that I then passed out to a few friends/family. I always love hearing someone else’s opinion on a product.

The Halo Zoom metal flashlight comes as a set of three for $20.95. The zoom has an adjustable range of light, from wide to narrow. You can determine how much brightness you need for the task at hand. The on/off button glows in the dark, and there’s an emergency flash feature (strobe). These flashlights are available in black, blue, green, purple, and red.

Halo Zoom Set — Halo Zoom flashlight set. Photo courtesy of Halo2Cloud.com

With an aluminum body and nine LED bulbs per flashlight, the Halo Animal and Floral Print Flashlights are functional and stylish. A set of five (floral print or animal print) costs $39.95, and each flashlight is packaged individually with a matching patterned box. This makes it easy to split the set up as gifts, prizes, or favors.

Halo Floral and Animal flashlight sets — Halo floral print flashlight set and animal print flashlight set. Photo courtesy of Halo2Cloud.com

Now, for the opinions-

What I like about Halo flashlights: They’re small, so great for a purse or diaper bag. They work, and the bulbs are surprisingly powerful. And I love the patterns available.

What “P” likes about his Halo Zoom flashlight: “The one I have is green with the adjustable size spotlight, a low, high, and strobe setting. They should ditch the strobe setting [he can’t think of a good application], but everything else was great. I used it when working on the car.”

What “N” likes about her flashlight: “It’s been nice to carry in my purse. Used it several times. Very bright, and I like adjustable spotlight.”

If I get any more feedback (*cough* That would be you, “E”), I’ll add it in above!

Three of the flashlights I received from Halo2Cloud.com.

Visit Halo2Cloud.com to see what they have to offer.

Which flashlight would you love to carry?

Review

Review: Halo Scanner Mouse- for your portable scanning needs #holidaygiftguide

10 December, 2013 42 Comments

UPDATE- Dec. 18, 2013

Did you catch my review on the Halo Pocket Power? It’s a handy little portable device that charges your electronics like your phone or camera. The Starlight version even has a built-in LED flashlight! I also received a Halo Scanner Mouse and mouse pad from Halo2Cloud.com.

I’d like to introduce you to Ruth, a new contributor to My Life: A Work in Progress. Ruth brings years of writing experience to MLAWIP. She’s also an attorney, wife, mother, and grandmother. You’ll see her review products and contribute from time to time. Welcome to her first review! -Elisebet

From Ruth:

The Halo scanner mouse from Halo2cloud.com is a great product. It works as a regular mouse and a scanner. Just plug the mouse into your device, swipe over a photo or printed document, and save or share. I’m very pleased at how it functions, but my husband is practically ecstatic. He wants to take it along to the coffee shop, office, etc. (Great gift for the man in your life!)

You will need to download the software (disc provided for Windows users or available online for MAC). The Halo memory is sufficient for a photo or one-page document at a time. The scanned doc can then be saved in a multiple of formats (PDF, JPEG, TIFF, etc.) or shared via email, Facebook, etc. There are multiple resolution settings possible and editing functions. A special mouse pad (fits 8/12 x 11 inch pages) is available (and I would recommend, though not obligatory if you just want to quickly scan a paragraph in a book or small photo).

Halo Scanner Mouse- easy to use and convenient. Find out more on My Life: A Work in Progress — Halo Scanner Mouse with redacted court document. The mouse is great for office, home, or travel. It scans photos too!

In addition to coffee shop, hotel, and office use—the Halo can be used at meetings where literature is being passed around to attendees. With your laptop and Halo—just scan the pages and email back to your office for printing. Printing quality is good for the documents and photos that I have tried, though if you need something that will be passed out at a business meeting (or in court!)—you may want to spend a little more effort with the editing function to get perfect printed copies.

On the other hand, if you just need to save and/or print for yourself—it’s fast and no particular editing is needed. It’s definitely user-friendly (I’m no computer geek).

The mouse works as a regular mouse for your office or home computer; however, my husband is going to want to keep our Halo mouse in his notebook case for the coffee shop! Halo sells the mouse online for $111.95 and the pad is $10.95.

UPDATE- We had a reader ask whether the mouse would scan through glass. Ruth tried it out, and this is what she had to say:

The Halo mouse scanner works fine under glass. The Halo mouse pad that can be purchased with the scanner actually has a plastic overlay that you insert your photos or documents under, so under the glass does not seem to be any problem. However, I actually found it easier to still use the mouse pad–inserting the photo under glass under the plastic sheet of the Halo mouse pad. (It’s just easier to get a quicker, clean scan when using the mouse pad.)

The original “old” photos attached were scanned under their glass, using the Halo mouse scanner and mouse pad with plastic overlay. I did no editing of either photo, though this can be done, as well, with the Halo mouse scanner program. (So you can see the scratch in one photo and red smear courtesy of one of my children with a red marker years ago.) By the way, the pictures are of my Great-Aunt Mary and of my father with one of his older brothers.

Visit Halo2Cloud.com to see what they have to offer.

Where would you take your scanner mouse? Business trip, coffee shop, or somewhere else?

Review

Review: Halo Pocket Power for charging on the go #holidaygiftguide

7 December, 2013 12 Comments

Halo2Cloud.com sent me several of their products to test and write about, so be on the lookout for more reviews soon! Today I’ll focus on the Halo Pocket Power 2800 and the Halo Starlight 2800. Both are universal power chargers that can be slipped in your pocket or bag.

Having used the Halo Pocket Power several times now (once when I was desperate), I highly recommend looking into buying one for yourself! It definitely would make a great gift for a loved one too, because it’s truly practical.

The Halo Pocket Power 2800 currently retails for $49.95, and it’s a back-up charger for your electronics like cell phones, cameras, and Bluetooth devices.

Halo Pocket Power 2800 charging an iPhone 4s

Similar in size and capabilities, the new Halo Starlight 2800 can be purchased for $59.99. The Starlight includes a built-in LED flashlight and retractable cord with two of the most popular charging tips.

I spent this past Thanksgiving week at my parents’ house in Minnesota. On the day Baby J and I were supposed to fly back home, I could not find my regular wall charger anywhere, and I was the only one with an iPhone, so there were no wall chargers to borrow. I’d signed up for flight text notifications from my airlines, which are much more convenient and minute-by-minute then constantly logging onto the computer and checking that way. I also needed to get in touch with the friend who was picking us up from the airport. I was desperate to get my phone charged, and very thankful when I finally remembered that I had a Pocket Power in my carry-on!

Not only did the Pocket Power charge my iPhone within an hour, but several days later, the Pocket Power is still on power level “yellow” when I turn it on. That means it still has 34 to 66 percent of a charge on it. So I could use the Pocket Power again before having to recharge the device. I’m impressed with how long and much power it holds.

Both the Pocket Power and Starlight are about the size of a tube of mascara and have little bags for storing. They’re compatible with devices that use micro USB, mini USB, or 30-pin. You can also use them with any device that has a charging cable equipped with a “male” USB connection cable, like iPhone 5.

These power chargers are simple to use. They initially charge through a USB port. If you have an adaptor, you can do it through a wall outlet, but I’ve been using my laptop. Once it’s charged, you can toss the Pocket Power or Starlight into your purse, diaper bag, etc., for when you’re on the go.

They are also really fashionable. The Pocket Power comes in both solid colors and designs like zebra and leopard print. The Starlight is available in solid metallic colors and has a “quilted” look to it.

Halo Starlight power on the go — Halo Starlight with LED light lit

The only downside I’ve found is that I have to take my Lifeproof case all the way off my iPhone before I can use the Pocket Power or Starlight to charge the phone. The part that plugs into my iPhone is too big if the case is on (If you have a Lifeproof case, you probably understand what I’m talking about. If not, don’t worry about it).

To learn more about the Halo portable chargers and their other products, visit Halo2Cloud.com.

Where would you use your Halo Pocket Power?

General Disclaimer- Floral