November 2012

Spigen SGP Illuzion Faux Leather Case for iPhone 5 Review

Spigen SGP makes the GLAS.t screen protector I have on my iPhone 5. I love it. They also make some great cases. For example, the UltraThin air I am using comes from them. They also make the larger, more protective lluzion Faux Leather Case. That is the case I put on my in-laws iPhone when they received them last week. Here’s a look. From SGP: iPhone 5 Illuzion is a premium synthetic leather wallet case with card slots inside. The cover has a speaker and earpiece cutout to allow users to talk on the phone even when the case is closed….

News

iLuv’s Stylish ReF Line of Headphones Make Clear, Music Is Fashion

Headphones are fashion and are now music to your eyes, just as they are music to your ears. Recognizing this fact, iLuv has just introduced their ReF line of premium headphones. As Brian Kim, Global Product Marketing Manager of iLuv’s Premium Headphone Division notes Headphones are quickly becoming a part of the language of fashion, and we at iLuv recognize that consumers are searching for quality headphones that also feature a stylish design. That is why we are introducing Fashionology®, a combination of fashion and technology. Headphones traditionally appealed to a small group of audiophiles and technology enthusiasts, but that…

Gear Bits, Yum Log

Hostess Bakeries Planning to Close – When Was YOUR Last Twinkee?

Today we heard about the filing by Hostess Bakeries for ‘wind down’, meaning that they are seeking to close operations. The sad news will reportedly impact some 18,000 workers across 36 plants. Hostess has spent all of 2012 in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection working to reorganize operations to find a way to stay afloat. Unfortunately, according to the Wall Street Journal, this year has seen commodity costs rise and demand for products decline. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the major union for the company declared a work stoppage last week that shut down the majority of operations. This sort…

Game Diary, Reviews

Deadly Dungeons for Android Review

Type of app: Dungeon Crawler game Platform/where to buy: Android; available in the Google Play Store Developer: Jacob Ensign Description: Deadly Dungeons is a first person RPG developed exclusively for the Android platform. This Android RPG is influenced by classic dungeon crawler games such as Dungeon Hack, Eye of the Beholder, and Nethack. Your purchase supports indie games development. After being separated from your adventuring party, you must navigate a deadly dungeon, and fight your way through hordes of creatures in a desperate attempt to escape alive. What first begins as a simple escape to the surface turns into a…

Music Diary, News, Reviews

iGrand Piano for iPhone and iPad Review

Type of app: Music Making Software Platform/where to buy: iPad (iPhone version here); available in the App Store Developer: IK Multimedia Description: iGrand Piano puts an entire gallery of the world’s finest pianos right at your fingertips with studio-grade quality never heard before in any other app that stands up to the most powerful virtual instruments available on a computer. iGrand Piano features: – 8 world-class, multi-velocity stereo grand and upright piano instruments (including one by registering) – Expandable library of 9 additional studio-grade instruments instantly available via in-app purchase – Intuitive instrument edit controls including ambience, lid, brightness, release,…

Reviews, Travel

Skooba Cable Stable Rollup Kit Review

Back in June, I did a video post on how I created a Skooba Design “Go Pack”. I took one of the company’s Cable Stables and strategically loaded it with all the cables and accessories I need with me on the go. It continues to serve me well but, believe it on not, it can be a bit too large on days when I’m traveling super-light. This is especially so now that my iPad mini is my “go-everywhere” tablet. That’s why I was pleased to get one of Skooba Design’s first Cable Stable Rollup Kits. The Rollup Kit is small,…

Editorials

Are These Android Market Share Numbers Good for Anyone?

By now the Gartner global mobile phone sales/shipment estimates for the 3rd quarter of 2012 have been widely disseminated, and they are summed up nicely at places such as TechCrunch. For those looking for the basic bullet points, here goes: – Overall mobile phone sales declined ~3% in Q3 – Smartphone sales increased by 47% during the same time. – Samsung has overtaken Nokia as largest handset maker. – Samsung & Apple account for ~50% of smartphone sales, >100% of smartphone profits – Samsung alone owns nearly 1/3 of smartphone market (and almost 40% of sales) – Samsung, Apple, ZTE…

Music Diary, News

RIP Ambient and Electronic Music Pioneer Pete Namlook

This week we learned of the passing of electronic music giant Pete Namlook. His real last name is Kuhlmann, with Namlook being the sound of that name pronouced backwards. He was 51. I am often amazed at how I come to listen to certain artists – it is like a game of ‘Six Degrees of Separation’ at times. Pete Namlook is one of those. As my musical horizons began to expand in the late 70’s and into the 80’s I discovered a great number of musicians, and as a bassist I was directed to Bill Laswell. Laswell released a solo…

Music Diary, News

IK Multimedia Releases iPhone 5-Friendly AmpliTube 2.7!

More and more apps are being released that take advantage of the new iPhone 5 (and iPod Touch) screen, and it is great to see that they are actually taking advantage of the screen rather than just filling out the space. Today IK Multimedia announced that their popular AmpliTube app for iOS has been updated to take advantage of the larger screen. Here are the details from the press release: AmpliTube 2.7 takes advantage of the extra screen size and the Retina Display to deliver stunning graphics, which accompany IK’s industry-standard sounds and features. The app comes with 24 gear…

Music Diary, Reviews

Pioneer DDJ-WeGO Video Unbox and First Impressions

I announced the release of the affordable yet feature-packed DDJ-WeGO from Pioneer here. The folks at Pioneer recently sent us a DDJ-WeGO to evaluate, and we are planning a full-on review for the next couple of weeks. I wanted to get in a quick unboxing and hands-on out there in case anyone was planning some holiday shopping for the DJ enthusiast and had the DDJ-WeGO on their list! Manufacturer: Pioneer Description: Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. Professional Sound and Visual Division today unveiled its most affordable controller to date, the DDJ-WeGO, an ultra-compact system that enables consumers and music enthusiasts alike…

eBooks

R.I.P., Fictionwise and eReader

This has been a long time coming, but Barnes and Noble is finally putting Fictionwise and eReader out to pasture. They purchased the sites three years ago, and from that purchase the NOOK was born. But now that the NOOK clearly outshines its older siblings, Barnes and Noble apparently feels there isn’t a benefit to maintaining the prior brands. Even though I’ve said for years this makes more sense, it’s still sad to see Fictionwise and eReader disappear. They go back to the days of Palm OS and Peanut Press, and they were truly pioneers of eBook reading. The first…

News

Waterfield’s New Indy Is Just the Right Size for the iPad mini

Judie reviewed the Waterfield Indy bag for the iPad when it was first released. (Read the review.) I then stole it from her and, ever since, it has been my favorite bag when I want to travel light. I like how thin and light it is and, with Raiders being my all time favorite movie, it kinda sorta appeals to me in a geeky way. (Come one, admit it, the opening scene with the big rolling ball is only outdone by the Nazi’s face melting.) I love the Indy, but now that’s am carrying the iPad mini as my daily…

Health and Fitness

Outdoor Exercise in Winter – 5 Important Things to Remember

Last weekend the mercury climbed to above 70 F for the last time (until some time in at least April) where I live, and it was bookended by mornings below 20F last week and this week. We also ‘fell back’ an hour, which no longer provides a two-week respite from total darkness at the start of my runs. Winter has arrived in terms of darkness and temperature, and with it we need to remember some basics of safety as we embark on our morning – or evening – exercise routines. Wear a Headlamp and Reflective EVERYTHING Or maybe a waist-lamp…

Reviews

BlackBerry Music Gateway Lets You Go Wireless with Bluetooth and NFC

We’ve looked at a few different accessories that turn your wired speaker dock or home audio system into a wireless audio powerhouse, but none have been quite as powerful as BlackBerry’s upcoming $49 Music Gateway. What makes the Music Gateway stand out? NFC (Near Field Communication)! Let’s take a closer look. From BlackBerry: The BlackBerry Music Gateway is a great new music accessory that allows you to play music from any Bluetooth enabled device. Also setting this apart from other music streaming devices is its NFC capabilities, which enables a quick and easy pairing option. Once connected, change tracks and…

News

Assassin Nuns and Body-mulchers Rule as Conan Takes on HitMan Absolution

My favorite movie genre? Zombie flicks. My favorite gaming genre? Shooters. My favorite game franchise? The Hitman series. I’m not kidding. The newest game in the Hitman series has all the elements needed for success. It’s funny, violent and definitely not for kids. Add in assassin nuns and body-mulchers and you’ve for the formula for success. Check out this episode of Conan the Clueless Gamer for a closer look… and a laugh. Hey, if a game can get Conan to scream “I’m a scarecrow in a cornfield mother$%^%er”, it can’t lose right? Conan’s final thought… “We’ve rated numerous games and Hitman…

Game Diary, News

Check Out the Legend of Dungeon Teaser Trailer

I have to confess that when I heard the name ‘Legend of Dungeon’ I rolled my eyes. Then I checked out the trailer and smiled … now THIS looks fun! A classic, lo-fi dungeon-crawling, rogue-like, real-time, beat-em-up, co-op romp that doesn’t take itself too seriously? Sign me up! Sadly the game isn’t done yet and there isn’t an announced release date or price, but the trailer should help keep your interest. Check out the none-too-serious trailer: For more info and to keep up-to-date on Legend of Dungeon’s progress: Robot Loves Kitty’s dev blog Robot Loves Kitty’s main site Robot Loves…

Reviews

SuperTooth Disco 2 Bluetooth Wireless Speaker Review

I first reviewed SuperTooth’s Disco Bluetooth speaker about a year and a half ago. It is an interesting speaker with a design that stands out in an increasingly crowded market. The original Disco was long and low. Rather than having capacitive touch controls it had – get this — a physical knob for volume control and actual buttons for all other functions. Talk about old-school! When I first opened the box, I really thought the original Disco was ugly. However, over time it grew on me. And while I still don’t think it’s particularly attractive, I do like the physical…

News

Evernote 5 for Mac Adds 100 New Features to My Must-Have Productivity Tool

Evernote 5 for Mac has arrived, and it is ready to take rings to the next level. This is a major redesign that includes: A new left panel for easier than ever access to shortcuts (new!), recent notes, notebooks, atlas and more Major search improvements, including type ahead search Easier sharing with better notebook integrations and improved activity stream Improved note editing, such as plain text options and new framing And much more. Here’s the company’s walk-through. According to the Evernote blog, The Evernote desktop experience has evolved significantly over the years. We’ve changed things in response to new features,…

News

Lightning Strikes with Two JBL Speakers Sporting Apple’s New Lightning Connector

Accessories equipped with Apple’s new, smaller Lightning Connectors are finally beginning to roll out. The other day we brought news of Belkin’s lightning-equipped car charger. Today we get word that JBL has announced two new speakers that also work with the iPhone 5, iPad mini and other current generation iOS devices. Priced at $99 and $199, one of the speakers is great on the go, while the other will happily take up residence in your kitchen or next to your bed. Both feature the updated connection; here’s a look. The JBL OnBeat Micro is …an ultra-portable, acoustically sophisticated speaker that…

Music Diary

‘Jazz On The Tube’ Delivers Curated Classic Jazz Videos

Last week I wrote about a long-lost video from the Jazz Goes to College series. That series is all but unknown now, and the only reason I came upon it was that someone in a Facebook Pat Metheny fan group posted a link to a audio-only YouTube video of a 1976 Gary Burton group show featuring Pat Metheny, and one of the related links was of Gary Burton as part of the Stan Getz quartet. As most people know, YouTube is often like that – while we often go there for a specific video or song, we tend to keep…

Reviews

OrigAudio Designears Custom Noise-Reducing Headphones Review

Back in college, I had a part-time job at Best Buy. In addition to being awesome simply because I was a geek and it was an electronics store, they also offered a fantastic employee discount. I bought a pair of oversize noise-canceling headphones, and I used them until they fell to pieces. I had quite the soft spot for them, so when OrigAudio offered us the chance to review Designears, personalizable noise reducing headphones, I jumped at the chance! From OrigAudio: Designears support the notion that OrigAudio has always stood behind: Why be the same, when you can be different….

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