News

iLuv DualJack; Now, Why Didn’t I Think of That?

Every now and then a product comes along that makes me say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” iLuv has new “Premium Audio Cables and Charging and Sync Solutions” available as part of their myLink collection, and one of them fits the bill quite well. Here’s what the company has to say about their new offerings. iLuv’s audio and data cables revolutionize the market in quality and design. They were designed to provide superior functionality and the stylish design consumers desire in their accessories. These durable cables were constructed with a number of enhancements in both form and function, and…


Waterfield Designs’ CitySlicker Brings Style and Minimalist Protection to Your MacBook Air

If you are going to have something as thin and light as a MacBook Air, then why in the world would you carry it in a big bulky bag? You wouldn’t, and with Waterfield’s new CitySlicker, you don’t have to. The CitySlicker is a “Slim, Modern Case for the MacBook Air” that provides 3-layers of protection for the MBA while maintaining the thin, light look and feel of the diminutive laptop. As Gary Waterfield, company founder, explains, The MacBook Air is unbelievably thin, and we wanted to enhance that look rather than detract from it. The challenge was to design…


Why I Chose the Galaxy Nexus

About a month ago I was in the market for a new phone.  My Droid 2 was at the end of its useful life, and I was ready for a new smartphone.  There was a lot of debate between my friends over what would be better, and it came of shock to no one that I chose the Galaxy Nexus. The Screen The number one feature of the Galaxy Nexus wasn’t the 4G network; although that is a plus, the screen is what truly won me over. I say this knowing that the Nexus has a pentile screen. I, quite frankly…


All the Things a Star Trek Doctor is NOT!

If you think of quotes from the classic Star Trek, one of the first few would be ‘I’m a doctor, not a …’. These were uttered brilliantly by DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard McCoy in the series, and have become a standard line in later series entries. You heard it in Deep Space 9, Voyager and even the Enterprise prequel – but ironically never from Dr. Crusher on The Next Generation. Anyway, here is a great video showing a ton of these lines! If you are interested, there is a great list of sayings from Star Trek fan site ‘Memory…


RIP Legendary Bassist Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn

This weekend we learned of the passing of one of the most influential bassists of the electric era – Donald “Duck” Dunn. He was 70 years old and ‘died in his sleep’ according to long-time collaborator guitarist Steve Cropper. The pair were touring and had just played two sets at the Blue Note in Tokyo earlier that night. Here is more information: Dunn is perhaps best known as the bassist for Booker T. & The MGs, the highly influential house band for Stax Records that set the tone for modern Southern soul music. Dunn was invited to join the band…


Use Your iPhone Everywhere With the Quad Lock System

I love the idea of using my iPhone in a variety of ways and settings. The LifeProof case is one example of a case that lets us use the iPhone on the go. The Quad Lock Mounting System is another and we have one on the way for review. Before we get it, however I thought we might take a quick look. Quad Lock Case attaches pretty much anywhere using a single, multi-purpose mount. It is, “an ultra slim, durable and protective Polycarbonate hard case that doubles as a multi-purpose mount.” and because of its unique design it can mount…


Wilson Electronics Adds to Industry-Leading Line of 4G Mobile Cellular Signal Boosters

I often joke that the iPhone is good for everything except phone calls. Problem is, it isn’t funny. As much as I love my iPhone, when it comes to using it to make calls I DO have a love/hate relationship with it. When it works it is fine. But often… too often… the calls are dropped, the quality of the call is inconsistent or worse. And before you tell me to move to Verizon from AT&T, while it MIGHT be an AT&T issue, I happen to know that it cannot ONLY be an AT&T issue. After all, none of my…


Ultima, the Best In Car Holder Dock Mount for iPhone, Kickstart This

  Here’s a Kickstarter project that closes in just two hours… if you want to back it get in NOW. Yes, this project is already funded and it closes at 4:06 GMT May 13, 2012! Project Title: Ultima – Best In Car Holder Dock Mount for iPhone and more! Status: In Progress Closing Date for Funding: Sunday May 13, 2012 URL of the Project: Find it here. From the Creatives: This has been a project in the making for over 2 years, now with a working prototype that we feel is just about ready to start moving into the manufacturing…


Turntable.fm for Android Now Available

Well it took a while, but Android finally has a Turntable.fm client.  What is turntable.fm?  It’s basically a chatroom with 5 turntables.  Each DJ steps up to the table with a queue music.  The DJ position moves to the right when the current song is done playing.  If you just feel like listening and thumbs upping or downing the music while you chat that’s fine too.  It’s great fun and now you can do it on your favorite Android device.  Check it out on Google Play!


Case-Mate Helps You Protect Your iPhone AND the Planet

For the last 2 years my synagogue has been part of an environmental awareness and commitment certification program. It’s a joint initiative between an organization called GreenFaith and our umbrella synagogue movement. I’m proud to say that we are the 1st congregation in the process to have successfully completed certification and, at our Annual Meeting next week, we will be awarded a certificate and banner attesting to the fact. One of the impacts of this program for me has been a growing consciousness of how much waste is involved with consumer products both in the creation of the product themselves…



Stylishly Protect and Carry Your Gear with Lowepro’s New Camera Bags

When we were at CES in January I had the opportunity to stop by the Lowepro booth and see some of the awesome camera bags they have to offer. At the time I was interested, but didn’t find the gear personally relevant since I was content using my iPhone and Canon G11 for photos, and neither requires a good camera bag. Fast forward a few months, and I am actually looking for a good camera bag. You see, I thought the SonyDSLR we posted on a number of weeks back looked amazing, and I plan to pick one up as…


Eton’s Solar-Powered Rukus Is Ready for the Pool

  Warm weather is just about here, which means you’ll likely be spending more time outdoors — hopefully at the beach or pool! Assuming that you are careful about the obvious hazards such as water, sand, and too much sun, the next hurdle to outdoors musical enjoyment is finding a power source. Sun worshippers who have the new Eton Rukus, the “first portable Bluetooth sound system with a solar panel”, will be able to enjoy their favorite songs streamed wirelessly from any Bluetooth enabled mobile device. They can also keep their device charged through the Rukus’ integrated USB charging port. It has…


AccuWeather App for iPad Updated to Version 2.0 – Now with Customizable Themes!

Weather buffs and iPad users rejoice! AccuWeather has a new free weather app, AccuWeather v2.0, and comes with a lot of bells and whistles and eye-candy. For iPad 3 owners, AccuWeather takes advantage of the iPad’s crisp Retina display. A cool new feature of the weather app is its user-configurable design schemes so that AccuWeather displays weather data the way you want it. Never be in the dark about your local weather conditions again with loads of detailed weather information enough to satisfy the budding meteorologist. New features include: Complete iCloud synchronization of locations and settings between multiple iOS devices…


Keep Your Camera in the Bag and STILL Get Your Shots

This is a nutty idea but it just might be nutty enough to actually make sense. If you carry a DSLR you know you need to have a decent camera bag to protect it. But if the camera is in the bag you might miss that great action shot during the ten seconds it takes to pull the thing out. Cloak has found a way to let you protect your camera AND leave it in the bag while taking shots. Seriously, it is a bag that is designed to let you take the shots you want from within the bag….


Samsung’s First 4G LTE Windows Phone, the Focus 2, Will Be $49.99 at AT&T

Samsung wasn’t content to let HTC hog all the new device announcements this morning; they, along with AT&T have announced the Focus 2. This is Samsung’s first 4G LTE Windows Phone, and AT&T’s third. The Focus 2 will be “an affordable smartphone that will be available beginning May 20 in pure white for $49.99 (with a two-year service agreement). Featuring a 4” Super AMOLED display and front-facing VGA camera, the Focus 2 is sure to grab your attention.” You can read more about the Samsung Focus 2 on the Windows Phone Blog. You can pick yours up for $50 on May 20th at…


HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE Revealed at CTIA

Were you under the impression that most Droids were made by Motorola? I’ll admit that for a while, when I heard Droid that was my first thought — probably because of the Motorola Droid commercials that used to constantly be on. But as you can see by the title (and by the past HTC Droid models), Motorola doesn’t have a lock on the name … evidently Verizon does, because they licensed it from LucasFilms. But I digress. CTIA kicked off with a bang this morning; not only did HTC announce their One S, they’ve also confirmed the internet rumors and…


Latest HTC One Android Phone, the V, Coming This Summer

This morning HTC has announced the HTC One V, the latest of the HTC One series. We’ve covered the One X and the One S, and later this summer it looks like we’ll have another version to look forward to. If you like Android phones, these have proven to be some of the most exciting available. The One V will be running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), and it will feature a a 5-megapixel camera with f/2.0 back illuminated sensor. The One V will have HTC Video Pic™, and will be able to capture “still photos while simultaneously recording HD video.” The One…


Belgian ‘Responsible Young Drivers’ Puts Drivers Through ‘Mandatory’ Text-While-Driving Course

If you want to convince kids (or adults for that matter) that texting while driving is dangerous, what is the best way? You can read them statistics, show them gruesome videos or death-scene photos … but all of that is a bit dry and academic. Why not put them through tests and tell them that by a new rule they need to prove competency at texting while driving in order to get their license! That is what a group in Belgium called ‘Responsible Young Drivers’ did, videotaping the results of several drivers as they attempted to text while driving a…


With $99 XBOX Subscription Bundle, Microsoft REALLY Enters the Smartphone Gaming Era!

Image courtesy GamesLive OK, so maybe the title is more than a bit of a stretch, but look at it this way: what product costs more to make than what you pay to buy it, but that lowered cost is subsidized by a two-year monthly contract? A cell phone … and now an XBOX360 bundle including the Kinect according to a report from TheVerge. Check out the details (emphasis mine): Microsoft is planning to launch a $99 Xbox console package with a monthly subscription as early as next week, according to our sources. The software giant will offer the 4GB…


Dell Unveils High Performance XPS and Vostro Computer Series

Dell keeps working hard to add value to the lines of desktop and laptop computers for home and business use, and as part of that initiative today Dell has announced new entries into the XPS and Vostro lines. These new desktop and laptop computers offer options targeted towards pretty much everyone – families, multimedia users and businesses. The new systems start as low as $549 and are available through Dell.com now. Here are the details from Dell: The XPS 8500 Desktop: Advanced Performance for CreativesThe XPS 8500 desktop delivers a superb user experience for creatives who demand uncompromising performance, whether…