I was recently asked by Carla at IdeasByNet if I’d take a look at a “Fridge Friend”.
Since I’m always interested in new gadgets I was more than happy to take a look!
The Fridge Friend allows you to record short video messages and has a magnet in the back so that it will easily stick to your fridge (the clue is in name!)
The main idea is that you can replace the traditional “can you pick up some milk” post-it notes you may leave for another member of your family.
You could also leave yourself a message telling you that you’ll only regret eating the bar of chocolate that’s on the top shelf of the fridge unless you go and do some exercise first.
Or if you’re just a child at heart then leaving silly noises for other family members to discover is another option (I’ve not done that…honest)
It’s a doddle to use. Stick a couple of AAA batteries in, put it on something made of metal and turn it on!
There are only two buttons, on/off/play and record/stop/delete and once you’ve recorded a message the power light will occasionally blink to get your attention. It’ll allow you to keep 15 records that are up to 80 seconds in length.
While using the device there are various on-screen icons to let you know what you’re doing. A big red light in corner when you’re recording. A trash can to indicate which button is to delete, etc. I thought this was a pretty nice touch as I’ve used other devices where you have to memorise the instructions to figure out how to do anything. .
It’s not badly styled so doesn’t stick out in a big way and the magnet keeps it in place nicely.
The video quality is actually pretty good in natural lighting which brings me onto the first of two things I think could be improved.
Under the right lighting conditions, which in my house meant daylight, the image quality was really good. However, the quality was significantly different when it was dark outside and I was using just the kitchen light. It’s possible this might change with a better light as I’m using an energy saver bulb so it’s not all that bright. (where are those affordable LED lights!?)
If I was going to be picky about anything else it would be that the sound quality could be better. This could be because the speaker is on the back and sounds a bit muffled. It’s not so bad that you can’t tell what’s being said but you do sometimes have to listen carefully.
Both of things things aren’t a huge problem for what the device is. It’s not a media tablet designed to play high definition audio! It’s just meant for quick and easy memo style videos and it does that just fine.
They RRP for £24.99 and if you’re interest in one the contact details are on the IdeasByNet home page.
** Usual Review Disclaimer – IdeasByNet kindly sent me one of these to try free of charge **
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