Free Accounts Evernote Can Now Handle a Variety of File Types

One of the things have has differentiated free Evernote accounts from paid accounts has been the ability to upload a variety of file types. With paid accounts you could upload a wide range of file types… with free accounts you could only upload text, image, audio and PDF files. As of today Evernote has removed that restriction. As a blog post on the Evernote site explains, The reason we lifted our file restriction is that we want to allow our users to store everything related to an experience or memory in a single, visual, searchable place. Note size and monthly…

News

Evernote for Android Updated: “Skitch-ified” and Better Than Ever

Want to get the most out of Evernote? The other day we brought word of the downloadable book, Evernote Essentials. It is a good resource for anyone who is new to Evernote or wants to maximize their Evernote usage. Evernote has been on a roll lately. They bought Skitch, rolled out new versions of their software and are opening a presence in Texas. Now word comes that Evernote has updated their Android app and included some neat new trick including even tighter integration with Skitch. We’ll let the Evernote blog post explain… Today’s Evernote for Android update (3.2) gets a bunch of really…

Editorials

iOS 5.0 Voice-to-Text Cometh??

As a general rule we don’t cover rumors here on the site. Every now and then however there is a bit of juicy information that is so deeply rooted in fact that taking the leap toward believing the rumor is pretty easy. This is one of those cases and, truth be told, I have a hard time seeing this NOT come to pass. We’ve all been hearing about ongoing negotiations between Apple and Nuance with regard to incorporating Nuance’s voice-to-text technology deeply in the next version of iOS. We’ve even see screen shots of the keyboard trigger for it. Now…

Reviews

Sennheiser MM450 Bluetooth Headphones Review

As I have been reviewing more and more audio equipment one thing has become clear to me: you get what you pay for in the sound department. True, every now and then a lower-end audio product may surprise you but, as a general rule, the more you pay the more features and audio-quality you are going to find. Sure, this holds true in most areas, but I tend to find it is more apparent in the audio department than in other places. That noted, I never imagine I would lust after a pair of headphones that cost just south of…

Reviews

SigNote Adds Interest and Personalization to Your Pics Review

It has been a while since an iOS photo app caught my attention but SigNote did just that! It is a relatively simple app that lets you add personalization to your photos in just a few simple steps. It takes seconds to learn and can be tons of fun. Let’s take a quick look via a walk-through of editing a picture and then tell you how you can enter to win a free promo code. Here’s what it says about the app in the iTunes Apps Store: Ever thought about turning your photos into a piece of art? SigNote arms…

Reviews

iOS-Enabled Gear Review: iHelicopter Remote Controlled Helicopter

A week before Griffin announced their new Help TC iOS remote-controlled helicopter, I saw the iHelicopter being advertised. For $59 I figured I would order one. It came yesterday and… well… it is fun. As the product page explains, The iHelicopter makes it possible to use your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch as a remote control for a RC Helicopter! Plug the transmitter in the audio jack, download the free controller App and you are ready to fly! The gyro in the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch can be used to control the tilt of the iHelicopter. Tilt your iPhone…

Editorials

I Reviewed It and Still Use It: Flipside 2X Wallet Edition (News, Too!!)

We reviewed the Flipside 2X wallet last fall. It is an unusual wallet that is made from hard plastic, offers limited storage and has RFID shielding so the evil people trying to steal your information right from your credit cards without even touching them. Our conclusion? What I Like: Keeps you organized; keeps cards in place until you want them; opens with the tap of a button; cards slide out easily; prevents “wallet creep”; offers RFID theft protect What Needs Improvement: Nothing really comes to mind other than the fact that it would be great if they offered two models…

Reviews

Tablet Accessory Review: Adonit Jot and Jot Pro Stylus

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad the tagline might well have been, “Stylus? Stylus? We don’t need no stink in’ stylus.” Yes, Apple’s goal with the iPad was a truly touch-friendly tablet. For the most part, they have succeeded. Still, there ARE times when you want to use a stylus and, thankfully, there are a host of options these days. I just got a close, hands on look at one of the newest options and it awesome. More accurately, THEY are since there are two versions. The Jot and the Jot Pro from Adonit are an unusual take on the…

News

Waterfield Unveils Their New Tablet Ultimate SleeveCase

As much as I have been disappointed with the Blackberry Playbook, HTC Flyer and other 7″ tablets I have tried I still love the size. They are easier to carry and hold than their larger cousins. That alone makes them worth considering if you are in the market for a tablet this fall. If you have a small tablet or plan on getting one Waterfield has a great way to take it with you. Their new Ultimate SleeveCase looks great and offers tremendous protection thanks to its great build-quality, impact plastic and a thick nylon shell. Here’s what they have…

News

iPad 2 Case Review: Aranez iPad 2 Notebook Kangaroo Leather Case

The other day we brought word of a new folio-style case for the iPad 2 that is made of kangaroo leather. It looked great and carried a premium price north of $100. Then again, the case is made from kangaroo leather and that stuff ain’t cheap. (Or so we hear.) Well, the Aranez iPad 2 Notebook Kangaroo Leather Case arrived right after the news post went live and we’ve run it through its paces. Is it worth the price? Does the kangaroo leather really make a difference? You decide. Fortunately, while the case comes in a nice box it didn’t…

Editorials

Not Everyone is Ready to “Think Different” or Even to “Think Smart”

There’s an old story about three blind men. One grabbed an elephant’s trunk and thought it was a snake. One grabbed a leg and thought it was a tree trunk. Another grabbed… Oh you get the idea. The bottom line is, when you look at only one piece of anything you are not going to see clearly… Or correctly. Yet time and again decisions get made upon this small-picture limited-think. Here’s yet another example. A post over on Cult of Mac today offers the following. Here’s an idea: let’s cut Apple in half. Sure, the company is the most profitable on the…

Reviews

iPad and iPad2 Accessory Review: Aligata Premium Leather Sleeve

Our friend Tom from Aligata leather goods has done a great job of expanding his line of leather cases for the iPhone, iPad and other assorted devices. We took a look at his first iPad case well over a year ago. We also reviewed his Leather Envelope for the iPad. After that it was his iPhone sleeve that we focused on. Then, back in March, we took a quick look at some of the items that would be expanding the Aligata line. This is the first of a few of the new Aligata items we’ll be looking at; the Premium…

Gear Bits

Hurricane Irene: Be Prepared, Fake Candles Edition

Like everyone on the east coast we’ve been doing our part to get ready for Irene’s arrival. We moved the deck furniture into the garage, made extra ice so things in the fridge won’t go bad if (when?) the power goes out, we’ve charged our devices and some external chargers and we’ve stored up some water. The latter wasn’t so easy because every store we went to was out so we just filled up pitchers. Batteries and candles were out too, but Elana did bring something useful home. Here’s a quick look but first, a brief musical interlude from one…

News

The KAMMOK Kometh

Over the past year I have helped fund a number of Kickstarter projects. I backed the Vere Sandal Company, with an iPad stand, and with a watchband for the iPod nano. If you are not familiar with Kickstarter, it is an online threshold pledge system for funding creative projects. Kickstarter has funded a diverse array of endeavors,ranging from indie film and music to journalism and food-related projects. One of a new set of fundraising platforms dubbed “crowdfunding”, Kickstarter facilitates gathering monetary resources from the general public, a model which circumvents many traditional avenues of investment. Project owners choose a deadline and a target…

Reviews

Audio PlayerReview: The JLab Wave Waterproof mp3 Player

A few weeks ago we took a look at the Monster Cable iSport waterproof headphones. They are pricey but sound great and are, in fact, truly waterproof. They are machine washable!! If you don’t need the same level of audio quality but still want waterproof headphones JLab’s Wave headset is worth a look. While the Wave is not machine washable it IS waterproof and has the huge advantage of not requiring a separate mp3 player. You see, the Wave IS the mp3 player. It MAY look like a pair of in-ear headphones connected by a ridged neck wire but the…

News

Food Sanitation Just Got a Lot Easier with the CleanCut Touchless Automatic Towel Dispenser

A few years ago Elana trained as a chef at the Natural Gourmet Cooking School. One of the most important lessons she learned had to do with food sanitation. (She’s a nut about it which is a good thing. She also once commented that “If you knew what went on in some restaurant kitchens you would never eat out again.”) It is important to keep kitchen surfaces as clean as possible and that means, in part, using paper towels to ensure that all surfaces touched by raw food are sprayed and cleaned on a regular basis. To ensure this happen,…

News

G’Day to the Aranez iPad 2 Notebook Kangaroo Leather Case

We’ve seen iPad 2 cases made from a variety of different leathers. We’ve seen a gorgeous example of one made from crocodile thanks to Orbino. But this is a new one for us. Aranez has released an iPad 2 case made from Kangaroo leather. We’ll skip all the sill puns and jokes and just hop over to the company’s description of it. (Oops, sorry that just kinda slipped out by accident.) Presenting the world’s first iPad 2 Kangaroo Leather Case crafted by Aranez. This stylish case features genuine high-grade Australian kangaroo leather which is known to be the best performance…

News

Israel’s Iron Dome Missile Defense System Active for the First Time

It’s not the Star Wars Missile Defense System but it is real, it is here now, and it works. Yes, Israel’s new Iron Dome missile defense system was used in the field for the first time and … it worked. Over the past few days the Israeli cities of Beersheba, Ashkelon and Ashdod have seen a barrage of rockets sent over from Gaza (this started right after the attacks on tourist buses on the Egyptian border). While many of the rockets that were aimed toward civilian populations actually landed in fields when fired, enough of them hit their mark and…

Reviews

Earbud Accessory Review: Acoustibuds and Acoustigrips

(Editorial note: Try as I might to get useful images of these products for some reason it just wasn’t happening. Therefore you will see mostly stock images in this review but they ARE representative of the actual products.) We’ve been looking at a lot of different earbud and headphone offerings lately. A number of them, like the YurBuds, the Monster Cable iSports, SkullCandy FIX earphones and the AblePlanet SI350 headphones are targeted toward use during active sports and exercise. We learned of two offerings from Burton Technology, Acoustibuds and Acoustigrips, that, while not audio products in and of themselves, seek to…

Gear Bits, News

Plant Buddies Let You Keep Your Plant With You AND Save an Endangered Species

The Plant Buddies caught my eye when Ali over on ChipChick posted on them last night. The Plant Buddies are selection of endangered cacti that you can carry with you, nurture for a time and then release back into the “wild” to help them repopulate and become less endangered. Each “kit” includes a starter plant (Stone Rose – Genus “Anacampseros”, Golden Marble – Genus “Opuntia Monachantha”, Eve’s Needle – Genus “Astrocylindropuntia Subulata”), soil, a plastic dome housing, and a keychain attachment. You can carry your little friend with you and, so long as you water it every 30 days,…

Gear Bits

Six Degrees of Musical Separation

Last night I was listening to my iPod touch and an awesome song came on that I had never heard. I looked up the name and it turns out it was “All the World” from the self-titled album Fauxliage. Having never heard of the group I did a quick Wikipedia search of the band. This is what I found: Fauxliage is a musical project made by members of the Canadian electronic music group Delerium (which, in turn, is made up largely of members of the seminal industrial band Front Line Assembly) and Leigh Nash in 2007. The vocals are performed…

Articles by Dan Cohen