February 2013

Papertrell Aims to Turn Reference Books into Apps

In general, I tend to shy away from the “app-ification” of eBooks. If it’s a book, I want to just sit down and read it. I like eBooks, but I don’t need unnecessary videos, music, etc. However, the exception is reference books, cookbooks, and anything else where it’s not a linear process to read from point A to point B. These books do very well as apps, and the work to create them is often more complex than just digitizing text. Papertrell is the company that works behind the scenes to take a regular book and turn into a reference…


Plantronics Calisto 620 Review

I was already working on this review of the Plantronics Calisto 620 portable wireless UC speakerphone when I went to Florida for the day and found myself using it. That experience alone was enough for me to give this Bluetooth speakerphone a rave review. It was small and light enough that I easily carried it in the small carry-on bag I used during the trip. And it was so simple to set up that I didn’t even have to stop showing the video I was sharing with people with whom I was meeting. They said, “Dan can you make the…


iStopMotion for iOS Demo and Review

The iPhone, iPad and iPod touch offer terrific ways to play with your pictures. iStopMotion for iOS is one of the best. I used the app years ago when it first came out but have recently revisited it and like what I found. Using iStopMotion for iOS on my iPad and the free companion app on my iPhone 5 I was quickly and easily able to make a stop motion video. Here’s a quick look at iStopMotion for iOS and the video that resulted from my using it. iStopMotion for iOS is just $9.99 and it is a ton of…


2013 Toyota RAV4 Is Going Places

In a little over a decade, the compact crossover/sport utility segment has more than doubled in the number of competitors and they come from all corners of the globe. Automakers have seen sales figures of these vehicles account for nearly 13 percent of all light vehicle sales and they all want a piece of that pie. Toyota introduced its first small SUV, known as the RAV4, in 1994 globally and here in the U.S. the following year. For 2013 the automaker brings an all-new Gen-4 RAV4 that will be sold in more than 150 markets around the world. Since 1995…


Sony Xperia Z and Xperia Tablet Z – Sharp & Impressive at MWC 2013

One of the cool things that happened this year at Mobile World Congress was that Sony and an assorted group of partners gave select press and others an MWC-software customized Sony Xperia T complete with Spanish SIM. With it we were able to enter the venue with a validated NFC ID, and we were able to collect information from NFC tags located on signs and booth fixtures throughout the Fira Barcelona Gran Via. As enjoyable as I have found using the Xperia T for the past week to be, the Sony Xperia Z was the device that really caught my eye. You…


Kutsko Cutting Boards Offer Novel Kitchen Solutions

Nate Kutsko is a born problem solver. His day gig is a partner with his father in a handyman service that has earned a reputation for coming into houses and being able to fix just about anything that needs repairing, from plumbing to electrical to woodworking. In his home workshop, Kutsko likes to tinker around with projects, especially with wood. He noticed that when he and his friends were picnicing outdoors at concerts or at Nashville’s Steeplechase, it was really difficult to find a flat surface to serve your food and drink on. So he added two adjustable stakes to…


Samsung GALAXY Note 8.0 Up Close and Personal

Today was Day Two of Mobile World Congress, and Judie has been busy walking, talking and seeing all the new wares being rolled out in Barcelona. Along the way she got some hands-on time with the Samsung GALAXY Note 8.0.   We brought word of the Samsung GALAXY Note 8.0 the other day, and it looks rather compelling. It offers a 1280 by 800 pixel resolution, runs on a Squad-core Samsung Exynos processor and has a full 2GB of RAM. The device will come in 16GB and 32GB variants but both will offer expansion via a microSD slot. A 5MP…


Mailbox App First Impressions

Are you drowning in email? Do you use your inbox as a rolling to-do list? Do you constantly leave emails unread so you remember to answer them later? Mailbox aims to change all that. In case your Twitter feed didn’t explode with people reserving their access to the app, Mailbox is an email app for the iPhone that forces more organized email habits. The goal of the app is to get to Inbox Zero, either by archiving emails, moving them to lists for future reference, or setting a timer to pop them back into your inbox when you have time…


Olloclip iPhone Camera Lens System Review

  Although Dan had previously reviewed the ?lloclip (read it here) when I met the folks from ?lloclip at the LA Times Travel Show, they were kind enough to give me an ?lloclip for iPhone 4/4S to test out for myself.   They also showed me a new case they are developing to go with the ?lloclip, which is not quite ready for sale yet, but is quite impressive in person.  Once they are ready to bring it to market, I’m hoping to get one to be able to review, but I can tell you that the case functions not only…


HDTV Shopping, What’s Necessary and What’s Hype?

Sarah and I are HDTV shopping (our old TV is the size of a coffee table and weighs as much as my first car). I understand the basics of HDTV like 720p vs 1080p. But when you get into features like Smart TVs, and when you look at the price difference between buying, say, a Samsung TV versus a Vizio, what’s worth considering and what’s just hype? I was lost, so I turned to the experts at Gear Diary for some HDTV shopping advice and tips: Joel McLaughlin My take on HDTV Shopping? My next TV I will not look at whether it’s…


Brincatti Easy Fill Travel Bottles Review

While visiting the LA Times Travel Show over the weekend, I didn’t expect to run into too many tech or gadget related items, but to my surprise, there were several gadget travel related booths.  While my wife was signing up for every time-share contest in the place, I got a chance to visit with a few. I got to chat for a minute with Kenny Brincat representing his Brincatti Easy Fill Travel Bottles.  They are sold in a set of 4, 3 snap top and 1 spray pump bottle each with a 3oz capacity. What makes these bottles different from…


Just Not Feeling It – The Monday Mile

Did I miss the irony that my schedule precluded me getting this done in a timely fashion? Not it did not. When it comes to any runner, athlete, musician, parent, employee, or person in general … we have one thing in common: there are some days when we are ‘just not feeling it’. By that I mean that we don’t want to get out of bed, don’t want to brave the winter cold for that run, make the trek to the gym, head to school or work, or tackle that project. But what triggered the phrase in my head was…


ASUS PadFone Infinity Is a Phone and Tablet in One

During the first day of MWC, ASUS showed off a number of new products. The ASUS PadFone Infinity is a powerful quad-core, LTE-equipped smartphone and redesigned tablet into which it docks. The tablet looks like any old tablet from the front but, flip it over and you’ll see that its brains actually come from the companion phone docked into it. The phone portion of the ASUS PadFone Infinity is a 5″ 1080p handset with a Snapdragon 600 processor. The phone runs Android 4.2, weighs 141g and has a 2400mAh battery. With 2GB of RAM, the phone will be offered with 32GB and…


ASUS Fonepad is a Supersized Phablet

I’m still kind of smitten with the Samsung GALAXY Note 8, but the ASUS Fonepad looks kind of tasty as well. The ASUS Fonepad is a 7″ Android tablet running Android 4.1.2. Like the GALAXY Note 8, the ASUS Fonepad can also function as a phone. (That functionality may not be available in all markets and all carriers. We will see how that plays out once the device begins shipping.) Now let’s admit that Judie looks kind of silly holding this 7″ tablet to her head as a phone. She wouldn’t be seen dead doing so in real life and neither…


Melitta Pour Over 1 Cup Brew Cone Review

I love my Keurig.  It’s my morning companion almost every day.  A cup or two of coffee and I head out the door to work.  Once I get to work, I also get another cup or two of coffee while I read through my e-mail.  Well, recently I had to move offices from one building to another. In my new work place, the cost of the coffee club was more than the old place and it didn’t include sweetener and creamer.  So, I decided I needed to go on my own with the coffee and spotted one of these Melitta Pour Over…


Stanley Highwire iPhone 5 Case by Incipio Review

Incipio has entered the rugged iPhone case ring with their new line of Stanley iPhone cases, including the Stanley Highwire iPhone 5 Case by Incipio.  These cases are clearly targeted toward folks in construction jobs or other hands-on work where you’d rather not worry have to worry about the safety of your high priced smartphone.  I think the Highwire case fits the bill, but let’s first let’s look at a video and then talk about what comes in the box. Inside the retail packaging, you’ll find the Highwire case along with a belt holster into which the case fits fairly…


Huawei Ascend P2 has Speedy 4G LTE

When choosing a smartphone these days one of the key “features” worth considering is speed. After all, with smartphones now serving as powerful on-the-go pocket computers having a fast, ever-present connection is key. The Huawei Ascend P2 promises just that. Judie went hands-on at Mobile World Congress. Here’s a look. The company is calling the Ascend P2 the “World’s Fastest 4G LTE Smartphone”. It features a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor and LTE Cat 4 that can offer speeds of up to 150 Mbps. The phone is just 8.4mm thick and sports a 4.7″ IPS HD in-cell touch display. Of course…


SGP Illuzion for Samsung GALAXY Note 2

We reviewed Spigen SGP’s Illuzion for the iPhone 5 some months ago. Fast forward a bit and the Samsung GALAXY Note 2 is gaining an increasing number of fans. The phablet (phone/tablet hybrid) is an impressive device and I am seeing an increasing number of people carrying them. As with all “take everywhere” devices you are going to want to protect the Note 2. One terrific option is the SGP Illuzion Case for Samsung GALAXY Note 2. Let’s look at it on video and then run down some of the specifics. As you can see it is a nicely protective…


Amazon Reminds Us Why It Is Such a Great Place to Shop

This weekend my son had a birthday party to attend, but forgot about actually getting a present until Thursday. While he had some ideas he really hadn’t decided, and with the crazy schedule each of us had it just wasn’t clear when he would get to go shopping. At dinner that night we started to talk, and by the end of the night Amazon reminded us why it is such a great place to shop. Let’s dig into the details! After some thinking and whittling the options, my son decided he wanted to get his friend a CD for a…


PowerSkin PoP’n Pop on Power Battery Charger Pops on the Power

When I first saw the PowerSkin PoP’n Pop on Power Battery Charger (say that one five times fast!!) I didn’t think much of it. To me it looked like a clunky means of doubling your iPhone 5’s battery. Judie disagreed. Now that Judie saw and handled the PowerSkin PoP’n Pop on Power Battery Charger at MWC I have to admit she was right and I was wrong. Yes, the PowerSkin PoP’n Pop on Power Battery Charger is actually a rather ingenious way to quickly and easily double your smartphone’s battery charge. The PowerSkin PoP’n Pop on Power Battery Charger holds…


SpareOnePLUS Emergency Mobile Phone is Ready for Any Disaster

I sure wish I had had the SpareOnePLUS after SuperStorm Sandy took out most of the power in my area last fall. Sure, Elana and I had charged up all of the eternal batteries we had on hand and immediately went into “smartphone power conservation mode”, but the SpareOnePLUS Emergency Mobile Phone would have made our smartphone-worries disappear. Judie got her hands on one last night during an event at Mobile World Congress. Let’s take a closer look. SpareOnePLUS Emergency Mobile Phone gets its power from a single AA battery. So long as it is in range of a GSM cell…