January 2013

A Conversation with Lifeproof Cases at CES

If you read the site you’ll know that I am a huge fan of Lifeproof’s cases. I liked the one for my iPhone 4S but the thinner, more refined iPhone 5 case takes things to an entirely new level. Combine that with the amazing experience of using an iPod touch as an underwater video camera thanks to Lifeproof and there should be no doubt that this is one case line worth checking out. That’s why our last few minutes on the floor at CES 2013 were spent speaking to Jonathan Wagner, Lifeproof’s Communications Director. It seems that most every case…

Gear Bits

Adobe Creative Suite – Subscription vs. Retail

If you work in a creative industry, chances are you use software programs from Adobe’s extensive creative suite. The issue, of course, is that these applications are insanely expensive. Interested in image-manipulation through Photoshop CS6? MSRP will cost you $700 for that program alone. You can grab it off Amazon right now for $560, but that’s not exactly a bargain. What about Illustrator? Dreamweaver? After Effects? The list goes on and on. How can anyone possibly afford to keep a solid library of digital tools? Here’s the answer: Adobe Creative Cloud. Subscription services have been around for ages, but software-based…

Events, Health and Fitness

Why Is Garmin the Gold Standard in GPS Watches?

My first day on the CES floor, I saw the Garmin booth. I bypassed the various dedicated GPS units, and headed right for the display of Forerunners in all their glory. Along the way, I was stopped by one of Garmin’s reps, and when I explained how excited I was to see their booth because “I love Garmin!”, he laughed and said “You must be a runner, people always say that because of the Forerunner.” We had a good laugh, and he showed off their various new watches. I was deeply in awe of how much smaller and sleeker each…

Music Diary, News, Reviews

Living in Question – Recipes and Remedies CD Review

Living in Question – Recipes & Remedies Do you have people you interact with who, when they suggest music you simply listen? I certainly do, and even better I have developed an instinct for discovering quickly when someone falls into that category. While reviewing ‘Levin-Torn-White’, I exchanged emails with producer Scott Schorr of Lazy Bones Records, and I really liked his musical instincts on the record and music in general. So when he approached me recently and said he had something ‘not quite what I normally listen to, but he thought I would enjoy it’ … I simply had to…

Game Diary, Reviews

Inbetween Land for Mac Review

Have you ever started playing a game, left it for a while, and after trying to get going again felt lost and restarted? That is what happened to me with Inbetween Land for the Mac. The story centers on a city that is suddenly sent into turmoil by a flying island in the sky … which goes from being an object of fear to a tourist destination. Your friend Mary goes missing after a beam of light appears from the floating island, so that is where you start your search. The gameplay elements are immediately familiar – you have puzzles,…

Music Diary, News

In 2012, Rock and Pop Continued to Dominate Digital Music Sales

The results of 2012 music sales are starting to trickle in, and Nielson Soundscan has a solid summary of the results. Here are some highlights: For 2012, sales of albums and track equivalents are down slightly at -1.8% vs. 2011. Digital Albums are up 14% and Digital Tracks are up 5%. CD sales declined 13%. If you look at the digital sales only as Statista did, you will see that Pop, Rock and Hip-Hop accounted for over 65% of sales, with Rock at nearly 25% and Pop at just over 22%. Add in country and you have accounted for nearly…

Editorials

How Well Do You Trust Online Reviews?

Image courtesy of XKCD I recently read a very interesting post by Andrew Leonard about online reviews, and attempts by software companies to (as we say in the high tech world) productize them. The question is valid: In an online world with an overwhelming wealth of information about almost everything, how do you weigh reviews and make a buying decision? Certainly the online world is swamped in reviews. But in my view, there’s a huge problem with reviews on the Web. There are almost always just two types: The rave, and the pan. That is, either you see posts that…

Events

iStabilizer is the Gear Diary MVP of CES!

At CES this year, we tried our best to get as much video and photos from the booths and floor as possible. There's an overwhelming number of places to visit and products to see, and it's a long and tiring day. Not to mention, the booths are often crowded, schedules are tight, and there's only so much time to get a good shot or steady video. That's where Dan's purchase of the iStabilizer Monopod made our CES run that much smoother. iStabilizer is a simple monopod that extends out a few feet and fits the iPhone in its iStabilizer mount…

Editorials, Health and Fitness

New Weight Loss Method, the Built-In Stomach Pump

When I think of a stomach pump, it is usually in the context of someone ingesting poison or excessive alcohol, and an EMT or ER pumping the stomach as an extreme health measure. Apparently now a company called Aspire Bariatrics has developed a ‘minimally invasive’ system that seeks to replace ‘gastric bypass’ surgery and offer an alternative way for people to lose weight. According to the company: With Aspiration Therapy, patients “aspirate” (drain) a portion of their stomach contents into the toilet after each meal through an endoscopically-implanted tube, reducing the number of calories absorbed by the body. [snip] The AspireAssist…

Editorials

Even as Obesity Soars, Anorexia Remains a Huge Issue for Teen Girls

I didn’t think myself naive when I started my first real engineering job nearly a quarter century ago, yet I was quickly introduced to several new terms by a fellow engineer a couple years older than me. I learned the term ‘MILF’ and the expression ‘mind the gap’ which referred to the space between a woman’s upper thighs indicating she was thin and had proportionally wide hips. Neither or these were particularly respectful terms nor anything I would ever find myself using, but sadly they were two of the kindest expressions that I recall hearing from this engineer (misogynist and sexist…

Editorials, Events

Accessories at CES Illustrate Only Apple and Samsung Matter

I had the privilege of walking the CES floor and trying hard to cover as much as I could for Gear Diary this past week. It was, as you can imagine, absolutely geek heaven. I can’t even count how many smartphone accessories I saw this week, but one common thread stood out among the many mixed styles: if you want a nice case for your phone, buy an iPhone, a Samsung Galaxy S3, or a Note 2. Otherwise, you probably won’t see much case love. Now, seeing iPhone cases everywhere isn’t a big surprise at all. But all week I…

News, Vehicles & Gear

Lexus Brings Autonomous Driving to CES

Autonomous – or driverless – cars have been making headlines over the past couple of years as we saw Google demonstrate a self-driving Prius and then Audi race autonomously at Pikes Peak last year. At CES this week, Lexus is demonstrating a modified 2013 LS 600h hybrid sedan that features many technologies the automaker is testing and says may someday advance transportation to a driverless platform. “In our pursuit of developing more advanced automated technologies, we believe the driver must be fully engaged,” said Mark Templin, Toyota group vice president and general manger of the Lexus Division. “For Toyota and…

Gear Bits

Random Cool Math Fact – The Monty Hall Probability Problem

If you have ever taken a course in probability you have likely heard of the ‘Monty Hall Problem’, based on the name of the host of the show ‘Let’s Make a Deal’. On my current work project this week someone on the technical team inadvertantly offered such a choice without knowing or understanding it … which turned into a fun education for the non-statisticians on the team. The setup is this: you have a free choice between three items (on the show they were doors, and a prize was behind one). One is correct and the other two are incorrect….

Editorials, Events

Where’s Barnes and Noble? Not Taking Advantage of CES!

I spent a great deal of time before and during CES checking out the exhibitor list and deciding what companies I wanted to visit. While I didn’t think they were doing anything special, I did note that Barnes and Noble was on the exhibitor list, and made a mental note to drop by and see what they had to say. Apparently, though, B&N is here in their traditional, not technological, capacity. They are here solely to sell Gary Shapiro’s “Ninja Innovation” title (Gary is head of CEA, the company behind CES). No display NOOKs. Not even a brochure. At CES….

News

In News That Surprises No One, 2012 Was the Hottest Year Yet

By now most of the debate about global Climate Change has settled down not to IF there is climate change, but WHY. Of course there will always be tin-foil hate wearers, but the science is pretty clear as noted above. One side of the debate says that the rapid acceleration timed to match the industrial revolution and modernization movements of the last century and a half … and the other side calls it part of the natural cycle. The ‘natural cycle’ folks are largely represented by and funded by companies with a vested interest in not changing the industrial and…

Events, News

spnKiX Rocket Skates… Rock

Skates go high-tech with the spnKiX Rocket Skates. We saw a woman wearing them on the show floor. They looked neat enough, but then she started moving! Yup, the spnKiX are motorized. More than that, the spnKiX come with a remote control. Now you have a new way to trip, fall and break your leg. Better still, it will cost you just $699 for the privilege. Learn more here.

Events, News

Braven BRV-1 Speaker Encounters the Water Torture Test

We’ve reviewed the Braven 600 previously and, yesterday, we spent some hands-on time with the BRV-1. The speaker is rugged, water-resistant, and “built for the outdoors”. 10 hours of playtime thanks to the 1200mAh battery means you’ll get plant of time to listen to tunes on the 5W speakers. And because the BRV-1 is “protected from rainfall, water jets, and water splashing”. It is not, hover, intended to be submersed completely in water. We put the speaker to the test. There’s much more to learn about the $169.99 speaker and that can be accomplished here on the Braven site.

Health and Fitness, News

Binge Drinking Is Now a Bigger Problem for College Women

At this time each year high school juniors are starting to look at colleges and high school seniors are starting the brutal post-application waiting period. At this point many parents have started having talks with their kids about exercising personal responsibility in college when it comes to studying, drinking, driving and sex. One important talk is about the dangers of ‘binge drinking’, which is consuming quantities of alcohol more rapidly than normal with the express purpose of inebriation. It is defined as drinking “as four or more drinks for women, but five or more drinks for men within a three-hour…

Events, News

Griffin’s Crayola Light Marker, Impresses at CES 2013

Take one iPad with front-facing camera, one specialty stylus designed to look like a Crayola crayon, and one kid. Mix them together with some special tech sauce and what do you get? The Crayola Light Marker from Griffin. Here’s a video look at the new offering from Griffin. The Crayola Light Marker from Griffin features: Digital marker and free downloadable app for iPad Light Marker uses invisible light to play games and create on your iPad screen without touching it Fun in the dark with free downloadable Light Marker App – 6 activities and and hours of fun. Light Marker…

Game Diary, News

Super Stickman Golf 2 Scheduled to be Released Early This Year

I fondly remember playing Super Stickman Golf on my HTC Thunderbolt after I got it for free thanks to the Amazon App Store’s daily free app promotions. It was one of my favorite games on Android for a long time. I downloaded it thinking it would be an interesting time waster; I never would have paid for the app and probably wouldn’t have even given much thought to it had it not been free that day. Boy, am I glad I found it, though. After playing a few of the levels, I realized what a deal I got. Super Stickman…

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