July 2012

Amazon Launches ‘iTunes Match’ Like Update to Cloud Player!

Today on Twitter Amazon announced a significant update to its Cloud Player system, stating: We made some improvements to Amazon Cloud Player today. Have questions? Get them answered here: http://amzn.to/P53LPf Well … since it is Twitter there is little info provided. Here are the basics: Amazon Cloud Player is a service that enables customers to securely store music in the cloud and play it wherever they are on a Kindle Fire, Android phone, Android tablet, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac, or PC. Amazon Cloud Player now has more benefits, including: •Faster music import for Cloud Player using scan and match…


Letters From Nowhere 2 iPad Game Review

How much did I like the iOS game ‘Letters from Nowhere’ from G5 Games? Enough that after the cliff-hanger ending I immediately went to Big Fish games and grabbed the Mac version of Letters From Nowhere 2! When I heard from G5 they were bringing it to iOS as well, I stopped playing the Mac version and waited … and now I have finished the iPad game. Let’s dig right in! The Hype: Travel to the town of Nowhere and search for clues to remove the terrifying curse in this thrilling and spooky sequel! Audrey collected all the letters with…


Satechi 12 Port USB Hub with Power Adapter and 2 Controls Review

When I was using a desktop, I was able to set things up just the way I liked… and leave them that way. I used one of the USB ports on my iMac for an iOS 30-pin cable, one for a printer, one for a high quality microphone and one for a USB hub. That hub connected to a scanner and other assorted devices. Now that I am back to using a laptop as my main… in fact my only… computer I don’t have the luxury of setting things up and then leaving them connected full-time. That’s why I was…


Watch Wynton Marsalis Live Stream from Tonight at 5PM EST!

This one just dropped into my email, so I apologize for the short notice … but tonight at 5PM EST Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra are performing a show with a live stream from Marciac in France. Join me and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in Marciac France for a LIVE performance from the comfort of your living room. We’ll be performing Swing Symphony with Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, under the direction of Wayne Marshall. No passport required! Here is the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra: Wynton Marsalis, trumpet; Ryan Kisor, trumpet; Marcus…


Spotify Brings Free Radio to Android!

Last month Spotify launched a free radio service for iOS devices, marking a departure for the company as previously only Premium users ($9.99/month) had access to the service on mobile devices. Today Spotify has launched the free radio for Android devices as well. Here are the details: Play everywhere ? Tap into millions of songs wherever. Just like the desktop, mobile radio has the entire Spotify catalog to choose from. Just create stations ? Create stations based on any artist, album or playlist, and Spotify brings users one great song after another. They can skip a song if they don’t…


Rokform Rokstand v1 Desktop Stand Review

There are iPhone and iPad stands, and then THERE ARE iPad and iPhone stands! ApexCarbon was kind enough to send us a RockForm RockStand for review and giveaway and it is, in a word, impressive. Yes, this desktop stand is more than a stand for your iOS device. It is an attention-grabbing sculpture, a conversation starter and, in a word, a piece of art. It is sure to quickly become a favorite. Perhaps best of all, it is also a highly functional stand. Let’s take a look and then… give it away!!!! From Rokform: The Rokform Rokstand v1 Desktop Stand…


Amazingly, 6% of Drivers Would Swerve to Kill an Animal

Imagine that you are driving down the road and see a turtle on the shoulder … what do you do? Well, if you are Blake Shelton or one of his small-minded ilk, you swerve to crush him (or not as he later denied it), then tweet about it and get abusive to anyone who questions you. Actually, for most people you would either continue driving or perhaps stop to help the animal get to the side of the road in safety. But for some … it is the opportunity to leave the road to show how superior they are by…


Hulu Plus Comes to Apple TV… Finally.

Both Mike and I use Hulu Plus… a lot. In fact, I find myself watching more and more of my shows through Hulu than through my cable box. Yes, so long as the shows are available through Hulu that is where I am watching them. I especially love the ability to watch pretty much anywhere, on my iPhone, on my iPad or on my TV through my Roku box. Well, as of today there is another option. Yes, Hulu Plus comes to Apple TV today. New subscribers get a week free trial when creating a Hulu Plus account. You can…


BodyGuardz Ultimate Protective Clear Skin for MacBook Pro with Retina Display Review

While I was waiting for my MacBook Pro with Retina display to show up, Dan was kind enough to loan me his 13″ MacBook Air. Once it had arrived, I found his Air inside a protective plastic shell … which I promptly removed. I did wonder for a few moments about whether or not I was taking a chance of having something happen to Dan’s laptop, but in the end I decided just to be extra careful, Sorry Dan! No tossing his Air in my bag next to the car keys, no laying it naked on the carpeted floor just behind the…


In Apple’s World, “Amazon” Might As Well Be a Four Letter World

Someone at Apple needs to keep their finger off the big red button. No, not the nuclear codes, the one that rejects anything related to Amazon. Yes, Apple has been relatively quiet lately, but they once again angered the ebook world with another head scratcher of a rejection, this time for a guide to self-publishing. Pretty hard to discuss self publishing and NOT discuss Amazon, but that’s how Apple’s reviewers wanted it handled. According to Teleread and Holly Lisle, the self publishing writer whose work was rejected: Lesson 6 includes my “Amazon River” technique, in which I show students how…


ThinkTank Photo StreetWalker Camera Backpack Review

We’ve already looked at a number of bags for carrying your camera, photographic accessories and, in some cases, a tablet or laptop. Those bags all fell into the category of shoulder bags or slings. This time out we are taking a look at a backpack-style system for carrying all your gear. The Think Tank Photo Streetwalker “holds a regular size DSLR with 70-200 2.8 attached and hood in position ready to shoot”. The company targets this bag as being a good fit for “all photographers, from pros to serious enthusiasts” and, having run it through its paces, I have to…


Das 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 Gleiskreuzung ist Wunderbar

“Gleiskreuzung” is the German word I found when translating “crossover,” as in crossover utility vehicle. I don’t know if Mercedes-Benz used that in naming its entry luxury GLK (as they still refer to it as a sport utility vehicle), but I am sure you can see the possibility. Regardless, Mercedes gives its cute ute a major makeover for the 2013 model year (inside and out) that includes some 1,000 new parts. We recently received the 2013 GLK350, and immediately one notices the new corporate face chiseled into the body styling. The new look does, however, give an appearance of an…


Are These The Worst Apple Ads Ever? And Do They ‘Mean Something’?

During the opening ceremonies for the Olympics Apple aired three new commercials, centering on a young Apple Genius with ‘can do’ attitude helping Mac users in different situations. From the opening seconds, I thought these ads were awful. Why? Well, I thought the scenarios were inane, the people inept and thoughtless, and it painted a rather stereotypical view of a Mac user as a tech-incompetent person who needs to be spoon-fed and have their hand held to accomplish anything. That is a view put forth for decades by DOS and Windows users and more recently by Android users looking to…


Non-News of the Day – Pop Music Getting Louder and Harmonically Bland

There has been loads of talk in recent years about the loss in dynamic range of music – the so-called ‘loudness wars’. Basically, to make the quick impression required by the short-attention span internet age listener, a song needs to ‘pop’ and has about 10-15 seconds to do it. The quick cure for that is simply to bring everything to the front in the mix and make the difference between the loudest and softest sounds smaller (i.e. reduce the dynamic range). Now a study noted at Reuters looks at this in further detail, as well as categorizing the ‘musical diversity’,…


PSP Minis Reviews of SNK Arcade Classics Gang Wars and Time Soldiers

SNK Playmore has been releasing a number of pre-NEOGEO Arcade classics as PSP Minis that are playable on the PSP and PS3 systems over the last couple of years. The selection has ranged from popular classics to lesser known games. The two newest additions – the side-scrolling brawler Gang Wars and the top down shooter Time Soldiers – definitely fall into the latter category. Let’s take a quick look and then I go hands-on so you can get a feel for how they play on my PSP Go! The Hype: The SNK minis titles are a commemorative “retro-arcade emulation” project…


Mountain Lion Roars 3 Million Times, and Now It Is Time to “Read” the Manual

OS X Mountain Lion, the Apple’s updated desktop operating system, is already a big hit. Downloaded over 3 million times in less than a week, the OS looks pretty much the same as OS X Lion, but it adds some great features. Mountain Lion is, according to Apple’s Phil Schiller, “the most successful [operating system] release ever”. What Mountain Lion does is key for any of us who use an iPhone and/or an iPad; it gives Mac desktops and laptops the same tools already been available to us on mobile devices.In other words, it integrates the Apple-experience. iMessage, Notifications, Notes…


Tenba Messenger: Small Photo/Laptop Bag Review

If I had to choose one style of bag as my personal favorite it would have to be the traditional messenger. I love the flexibility, the ability to “dress it up” or “dress it down” and I love the ability to carry “just enough” gear. Oh, and I just tend to like the way they look. That’s why I was so taken with the Tenba Small Photo/Laptop Messenger bag. It offers all of the flexibility of a traditional messenger in a bag that is well-made, roomy and looks great. At the same time, it doubles as a highly protective camera…


Stuffa Jacket Holds ALL Your Stuff

 (image courtesy Stuffa) The folks at Gizmodo have stumbled upon a fascinating new clothing line, called the “Stuffa” jacket. It’s a jacket with pockets designed to hold several day’s worth of clothing. What an original concept. I wonder where they got the idea from… Actually, all sarcasm aside, the creator says he had the idea while watching people get creamed by baggage fees: I flew home late April with the remaining staff. It was at Geneva airport that the fun of checking in started and the idea for Stuffa first came to me. Everyone was having to pay the excess…



IPEVO Origami Folio for iPad Review

I find myself going back and forth between using my iPad in its simplest state (screen and back protection via film but nothing else) and using a case. When I do use a case I tend to gravitate toward one of the more minimal cases. That’s fine except for the fact that it often means forgoing a built in-stand. Again, that’s not a huge issue since there are stands aplenty available, but with the IPEVO Origami Folio with Fold-out Stand for the new iPad 3 and iPad 2 you get the best of all worlds. Yes, this case offers simple,…


Get Addicted with Flow Free for iPhone Review

I do agree that iOS has become a wonderful mobile gaming platform, but not in the way I would have first imagined. For me it is not about high quality graphics and blockbuster titles. Simplicity and the ability for quick play is far more important. My phone is always with me and there are many times during the day I am waiting or taking a break. These times are usually only a few minutes long and are fun to fill with a quick game. Puzzle games are perfect for these situations because the are fun, fresh and often quit addictive….