Whether you don’t want to be cornered in a never-ending conversation with Chatty Kathy or just want to avoid reciting the alphabet backward while standing on one leg, these 4 apps are sure to save you from committing a social faux pas.

1. Sneaky Phone Call Apps: Providing An Escape Plan

Image via MagicTap.net

These apps are fully designed as a kill switch to get you out of any uncomfortable situation. You can set these apps up to call you one time, or to call multiple times for realism. This app also comes with a timer for those times you know that you can’t possibly stand more than 10 minutes in a party. You can even customize the person who’s calling and have it show up on your call log. So when your girlfriend wants to “have a talk,” you can press the button, tell her that the mayor needs you and jump out the window to go save the day.

2. Fake Text Apps: Giving You a Text-Based Alibi

Image via GooglePlay.com

In case you’re a thumb talker and the mere thought answering a phone raises your ire, you can use a text message to rescue yourself from anxiety inducing moments. Fake-A-Message works for the iPhone and Fake Text Message is for Android. The Android version has the added bonus of allowing you to have an outgoing “message” show up as failed. They’re both perfect for this kind of excuse: “Didn’t you get my message? Oh man, look it failed. But I sent it!”

3. Breathal Eyes: For Avoiding Inebriated Mishaps

Image via Appshopper.com

Perhaps the single biggest catalyst for social missteps is our good friend alcohol. This app can keep you out of the stickiest situation imaginable: being thrown behind bars. Breathal Eyes is an Android App that acts like the cop who shines the light in your eyes to see if you’ve had one too many.

It analyzes the involuntary movements of your gaze to get a fairly accurate measure of your Blood Alcohol Level. This could be effective not only for yourself, but to also stop that friend who insists he’s “dot nrunk.” Just flash the app and feel empowered to snatch those keys.

4. Drunk Blocker: Saving You From Drunk-Dialing Embarrassment

Image via Drunkblocker.appspot.com

After your fourth Daiquiri you might want to call up your ex and let him know that you can do better, but you’d be willing to take him back if he admits he’s a dog. This app is the friend that grabs your phone and refuses to give it back to save you from the mortifying morning after. The Drunk Blocker can block you from making calls to the numbers you have selected. In fact if you do decide that you can’t go one more moment without hearing Jessica’s voice, you’re treated to a difficult puzzle to solve before you can get access to her number. Good luck getting through that if you can barely stand.

Whether your awkward moment is because of you or someone else, you can avoid them altogether thanks to 21st century technology. What kinds of sticky social situations do you think phones should have apps to avoid?

Packaging:

Specifications:

Pictures of the Alien Vibes W601:

The first look at the black, all wood, W601 speaker system. We will go over each item below…

The W601 comes with the control panel on the bottom right. It gives your control over the volume, input and menu options.

The bottom left sports your input area for USB and SD cards. You can load up your flash drive or SD card and insert it there and it will automatically start playing your music.

In the above picture, you can see we connected our flash drive to the W601 and started listening to our music.

A quick shot of the back shows you all the other connections you will have and a power switch.

  You do get a remote with the W601, it is a basic remote that you are used to. Nothing special with it, but it does give you the power to sit back and relax, while controlling your music.

Usage:

We will be testing the W601 speakers with several genres of music: rap, country and more. With the music testing, we tested several genres to get the best overall feel of how well the W601 speakers really perform. We started with the Christian Rock genre by listening to a few songs from Demon Hunter to figure out how accurate the bass is with the W601 speakers. Now the speakers started showing its true beauty with the audio reproduction. The speakers provided a deep bass that was one of the better reproductions we have heard in a 2.0 system in a while. Happy with our bass testing, we moved on with our testing and went to the best genre, country! The guitars and string instruments came through clear and had the impact on our ears that we were expecting. Even the raspy voices came through more “raspier” than ever and gave us the full enjoyment of their hard-partying life style, without actually being at the concert. To put it all together we turned on some Mumford and Sons, to get a good feel for the speakers. Mumford and Sons are amazing on their own, but with the W601 speakers, somehow they were even better!

Conclusion:

The alienvibe’s W601 speakers did great in our testing. They will surely be a crowd favorite at our office with the easy to use external cards plug and play.

The alienvibes receive the Techreaction.net Gold Silicon Award!

Recently some new, and not so new companies have been releasing PC enclosures that seem to demand they be considered within the conversations we have mentioned. One such company is Enermax which has been around since 1990. Primarily known by the PC community for developing power supply units, Enermax is now putting out enclosures aimed towards PC gamers, and enthusiasts. One such enclosure we have the privilege of taking a look at, and is the topic of today’s review, is the Hoplite ST.

Let’s see if this case has what it takes to come up in serious discussions about great cases.

Packaging

We received our sample of the Hoplite ST in a brown box sporting the Enermax name, and logo in red. Size-wise it is about the dimensions you would expect a mid level tower to be shipped in.

Removing the case from it’s box, you see that the case itself is protected in a standard manner for PC enclosures. That isn’t a negative as this manner of protection has been utilized for many years, and has been for the most part pretty effective. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

And here she is the way she was meant to be seen. The Hoplite ST. Not too shabby huh?

The case is a mid sized tower measuring 487(D) X 200(W) X 496(H) mm utilizing SECC 0.6mm(Steel, electrogalvanized, cold-rolled, coil), and plastic as its materials composition. We didn’t actually get to weigh the case ourselves, but we can tell you you definitely won’t need a fork lift to lug it around.

The sample we received sports white as its base with black sported on certain areas front panel bezels, top grill, etc. The Hoplite ST just doesn’t come in this particular color scheme. An all black version is available as well.

Lets take a tour of some of the features the enclosure has to offer.

Front Panel

The case sports four 5.25 inch drive bays each being protected by removable, vented bezels which are tool-less in design.

To install a bay drive device Enermax seemed to have gone a bit old school. With some newer cases all you need do is pop out whatever bezel you want to remove, and you are good go. Not so with the Hoplite ST. You will need to remove the case’s front panel first to access the drive bays. Removing the front panel is a breeze though. In fact it was one of the easiest front panels we have remove from any case. Some cases make you work for it : (

After the panel is removed just simply pop out the bezels you don’t need. The lock system of the bezels is really simple to comprehend, and makes putting the bezels back if need be a snap…no pun intended.

With the front panel removed all you must pop out the metal plate associated with the bay you wish to use, and slide whatever bay drive device you want to place. Again with some other cases these plates are non existent, and are reminiscent of how drive bays use to be designed back in the day. In our sample the top most plate was already removed so it made our job a-lot easier, but that is not to say it would have been much of a chore if it wasn’t already removed.

It should be mentioned that even though the front panel is extremely easy to remove, it is very secure when it is placed onto the case.

You can also remove the larger bezel located below the four bay drive bezels which reveals an area where a 120mm fan can be mounted. Like the front bezels, you will need to remove the front panel to access this area. There is a preinstalled 120mm fan behind this area, but if you want you could add another. There is a bad side to this which we will explain a bit later.

Next Page: Top & Side Panels

When one hears “be quiet!”; one thinks of an imperative – absolutely necessary or required; unavoidable: It is imperative that we keep the noise down. When considering the German vernacular; there is no real work around to this, it will be quiet. It is akin to yelling at a noisy case fan to cease and desist all annoying and unnecessary audible emissions! It is not a matter of becoming silent it is a matter of toning it down, at all costs, and keeping it quiet (Making little or no noise).

Packaging, contents and specifications
A closer look at design
Installation
Performance
Conclusion

When one hears “be quiet!”; one thinks of an imperative – absolutely necessary or required; unavoidable: It is imperative that we keep the noise down. When considering the German vernacular; there is no real work around to this, it will be quiet. It is akin to yelling at a noisy case fan to cease and desist all annoying and unnecessary audible emissions! It is not a matter of becoming silent it is a matter of toning it down, at all costs, and keeping it quiet (Making little or no noise).

From the Be quiet! site:

ABOUT US: be quiet! is a premium brand manufacturer of power supplies and cooling solutions for your desktop PC.

The Number 1 for power supplies in Germany: be quiet! products are convincing which is proved by reaching and defending the market leadership in PSU business in Germany since 2006 *. This is validated and accompanied by numerous awards for both power supplies and cooling solutions.

Repeated winner – Manufacturer of the year: be quiet! is awarded for six times in a row as manufacturer of the year in the power supply category by the readers of the well-know German hardware magazine PC Games Hardware. Another first and second rank in the categories “fans” and “cooler” for two consecutive times underline the high acceptance of our products.

Exceptionally quiet operation: be quiet! sticks to its name: More than ten years experience in the field of noise reduction and silence make be quiet! products probably the most silent one on the market. Undoubted fans have a large impact of the noise levels of be quiet! products. Due we are using our specially developed SilentWings fans in nearly all of our range. They are equipped with various noise reducing features. Thanks to these we ensure a really silent operation – our products reach the best balance between cooling performance and a virtually inaudible operation.

Packaging, contents and specifications
A closer look at design
Installation
Performance
Conclusion

Mionix AB is a Swedish based company established in 2007 by Peter Nygren. The company’s goal is to provide stylish, and high quality gaming peripherals to the PC market that have a touch of innovation. In its short time of existence, Mionix has amassed a decent amount of peripheral offerings for gamers to choose from. One such offering is the Naos 8200 Gaming Mouse which we were fortunate to get our grubby little hands on to test out. Lets see if Mionix has what it takes to take on some of the high end offerings of the more established big boys of the current gaming peripheral market.

Packaging

Our Naos 8200 sample came in a black box sporting a picture of the mouse itself as well as the company logo on the bottom left. The back of the box gives you a product description of the mouse as well as technical specifications. Pretty straight forward and simple design, and box art concept. We dig it. : ).

The box is a two box design meaning there is an outer box that acts as a covering, and the main box which actually houses the mouse. Removing the outer box we see the Naos 8200 patiently waiting to be released protected by a plastic shell casing.

Closer Look

The body is composed of a smooth rubberish material which is pleasing to the touch. Not to rough but not too soft. It’s the baby bear feel : )

As you might have already noticed the mouse contains sports LEDs which can be changed to various colors depending on what colors suit you. Below are a few examples of the LED illuminations you can choose from.

The mouse has a total of seven programmable buttons. The mouse wheel. The left, and right click buttons. Two buttons located on the left side of the mouse, and two buttons that rest just below the mouse wheel.

The mouse wheel features grooves which helps with scrolling. A feature we are glad to see more, and more manufacturers utilize.

Flipping the mouse over we see the Naos 8200′s feet which offer decent resistance, but at the same time aid the mouse glide on surfaces.

We are also shown the sensor which is laser based. Below are it’s specs per Mionix’s site:

*8200 DPI gaming laser sensor
*Max tracking speed 3.8 m/sec (150 ips)
*Max acceleration 30g
*Data Format 16-bit both sensor and USB
*Adjustable to1ms response time
*Up to 12000fps
*10.8 megapixel per second Image processing power

The Naos 8200 is a wired based mouse that uses a braided cable to connect via a gold plated USB 2.0 connection. The cable measures 2m (about 6.5ft).

Software & Ensis 320 Luna

Thermaltake is a company that has been providing excellent PC related products to users for quite a few years now. You won’t find too many experienced PC users who haven’t heard of the company’s cooling solutions, and various chassis.

Thermaltake decided a few years ago to create a separate brand that specifically targeted PC gaming. Enter Tt eSports. During its inception, the new division has put out some well received gaming focused peripherals. One such product we had the pleasure of reviewing a while back was the Challenger Pro Gaming Keyboard . But Tt eSports doesn’t just put out peripherals. They also develop, and release headsets, mouse pads, cases…pretty much what PC gamers need.

Now a little while back Tt eSports came out with a new line of products dubbed the Level series. Now the series is unique in that it is a partnership with Thermaltake, and the BMW consultant group, DesignWorks USA. The partnership generated a bit of buzz when it was first announced. A car company joining forces to create PC gaming peripherals? And not just any car company but BMW? That alone made many in the community curious to see what they would come up with.

One of the first products released under the Level label was the Level 10 Case. In a word it was just freaking nuts. It looked sleek as all hell, and it showcased a design that very few had ever seen before. We remember first finding out about the case when Newegg.com started offering their Supreme Combo deals which featured a custom PC using the Level 10 case. iBuypower soon followed suit with their own Level 10 inspired custom PC. The combo turned heads, but unfortunately it wasn’t the deals themselves that made people do a double take. It was the asking price. Over $3,000.00. The case itself was about $300.00.

Unfortunately the case didn’t appeal to many enthusiasts as it didn’t seem mod friendly, nor was it very accommodating to more hardcore custom water cooling set ups. Even to non enthusiasts the case didn’t seem to be the must get case due to its asking price. However this did not hamper Thermaltake from releasing future variants of the case. Take a look at some of the newer generation Level 10 cases by clicking –>here<–. Just click under the “More” tab under “Level Series”.

A new addition to the Level 10 family was introduced back in August of 2012. Continuing the partnership between Thermaltake, and DreamWorks USA, the new collaboration was a gaming mouse dubbed “The Level 10M Gaming Mouse”. The mouse sported a seriously unique, and sleek look, and again many started to take notice. We received our review sample on November 2012, but unfortunately due to prior commitments, and getting delayed by some unfortunate circumstances we were unable to show you our review of the mouse until now. Sorry about that.

So without further ado we bring to you our take on the Thermaltake Level 10M Gaming Mouse.

Packaging

Ok First off Thermaltake, and DesignWorks USA seemed to have wanted people to notice not just the mouse itself but the packaging. And they really succeeded in their intended goal in our eyes.

The Level 10M mouse comes packaged in a very slick looking black box with the Tt eSports name, and logo shown in red as well as the words “Born to be Seen” etched in the middle. The cool thing about the logo, brand name, and slogan placement is that it isn’t scrawled all over the box like some other companies tend to do, but is subtle. We like the less is more approach. A picture of the mouse itself, as well as cells indicating some of the design features of the mouse rounds out the front presentation.

The rear of the box shows what the cells in the front provide, but in a more visual fashion. The Tt eSports name, and logo are again showed as well as the Level 10M name. A second slogan is also shown saying “Assembled to be Noticed”

As you can see the mouse does not come in only one box, but two. There is an outer box which is basically covering for the main box where the mouse itself is stored.

Again sleek comes to mind when taking a look at the main box. It is a front panel flap style with the flaps themselves being held closed by a sticker with the Tt eSports logo. The box itself is all black with the Level 10M name, and the “Born to be Seen” slogan shown again. Ok we may have jumped the gun on the less is more comment : )

Opening the box we see the Level 10M mouse itself protected by a hard plastic shell, and held down by twist ties. On the inside of the box flaps we see the same cells shown on the front of the outer box. Ok we definitely jumped the gun on the less is more comment.

Pulling the Level 10M from within its confines reveals the extras that are included with the mouse.

Thermaltake has included a black carrying case, a silver cardboard pouchlike case which contains three post cards with the a different color schemed versions of the mouse on each card (not sure why post cards are included but eh), and a hex headed mini screw driver. We’ll get into why you will need the screw driver later.

All joking aside this is the prettiest box for a mouse we have reviewed to date. We actually didn’t throw the box away, but instead put it up for display. No really we did : ).

Next Page: The Level 10M Gaming Mouse

Today we have  the Craft Plus iPad case from More-Thing. We have a classy little case here to look over, instead of the boring ‘ol cases that have flooded the market. The Craft Plus is made up of wool felt and Black leather, which is an interesting combo together. We shall see how it turns out once we bust it open. Now, lets’ get to it and get this show on the road!

Packaging:

Specification:

Usage:

Once we finally opened up the Craft Plus we noticed it was really … Polk-a-dotty. We decided to proceed and install our iPad anyways.

This is a quick shot of the Craft Plus with it flipped up at an angle to make using easier while on your desk or lap.

With everything installed, the Craft Plus was crafted perfectly. Everything lines up and is easy to access while in the Craft Plus.

Conclusion:

The Craft Plus was a very nice iPad case. It is a great mixture of wool felt and black leather, which we were unsure if we would like it at first. Once we saw it in person it definitely changed our mind and we did come around. The Craft Plus will help keep your iPad scratch free from the daily grind. It will also protect your iPad from some basic falls, but nothing too drastic. Since the Craft Plus is not claiming anything of the sort, we did not want to risk it and test it out. For $57 the Craft Plus is a little higher in price than most, but you are paying for higher quality products with the leather and wool felt. Yes, you could get the same basic design that is not made with nice materials for a lot cheaper that functions the same. If you are interested in a more classy case, this is one that should be looked at.

The Craft Plus receives the Techreaction.net Gold Silicon Award!

If you want more information Craft Plus or other More-Thing products, please visit their website.

Packaging:

Specifications:

Usage:

The sequential transfer rates from CrystalDiskMark were 20MB/s read and 14MB/s write. The write speed easily exceeded the 10MB/s minimum for its Class 10 rating.

When you are thinking about size of SD cards you will have lot of options from 128-256mb all the way up to 2TB depending on the SD card type. With that in mind we are looking at a few options of use here with phones and cameras.

Using our 64GB SD card for taking photos with our Canon Rebel XS for reviews we found the average RAW picture size was about 9-10MB per picture. Keeping around this same size for all the pictures, we could take around 6400 pictures before need to clear it out.  That will be plenty of room for most every person out there, minus maybe the professional photographers.

Moving on to movie storage on the card for your phone or possibly a tablet that can support this card, you could load up plenty. Looking at our movie inventory, we saw most of our HD movies were about 3-5GB each. Our older movies were even smaller, but we are going with our HD collection. You could easily load 12-21 HD videos on your phone or tablet. With that big of a movie selection on either, you can really watch about anything you want to. Throw on a few action movies or suspense, documentaries, romance or whatever your heart desires. You will have more of an issue with keeping your device powered to get through your movie marathon. Also if you think about it, on a long cross world flight you could have about 24-40 hours of move watching capabilities.

Now if you go the music route that would possibly be around 30-34,000 songs to put on your phone or tablet, if each MP3 was 2MB. Now if you want to expand a little more on that, look at it this way. 30,000 songs with an average 3 minutes each, you would have 62.5 days worth of straight music.

Conclusion:

With the huge storage capacity of this SD card, like we showed above, you will be hard pressed to fill it up and actually have enough time to use everything on it. It would be a great addition to your tech gear, especially if your phone or tablet has the available SD upgrade slot. With the SD card sporting faster speeds than the class 10 advertised speeds, that is great to see. We are not going to beat you over the head with numbers again so we will just say we approve!

 The Kingston 64GB Class 10 MicroSD Card receives the Techreaction.net Gold Silicon Award!

For more information on the SD card and other Kingston products, please visit their website.

Cooler Master has sent us the Cube for review. It is a collapsable stand for all of your tablets with rubber feet on it to keep it from scratching your tablets all to hell. That is about all we have to say about this simplistic item, so we will not bore you with more blabber. Now lets get it on the review table. Read on …

Packaging:

Specifications:

Usage:

All folded up, compact, and ready for storage.

Unfolded and ready for our tablet.

Flipped over, you can see all the rubber that will help keep the Cube in one spot without moving.

Our iPad sitting on the Cube nice and secure.

A side view to see how it actually sits on the Cube.

If you wanted to try horizontal, you can do that as well with ease.

Conclusion:

Overall, the Cooler Master Cube did a very good job at what it was made to do, hold tablets. It is nice and sturdy so you will not have to worry about you tablet taking a tumble or overpowering a lightweight, cheap stand. The rubber padding and feet on the Cube help make it stay in one spot and hold your tablet without scratching it all to hell.

The Cooler Master Cube receives the Techreaction.net Gold Silicon Award!

If you would like more information on the Cube and other information on Cooler Master products, please visit their website.