Reviews

iPad 2 Case/Accessory Review: Joby gorillamobile Yogi

Back in February we reviewed Joby’s gorilla mobile Yogi for iPad 1. It is one of the most flexible and functional cases ever and is the case that is on my iPad 1 the majority of the time. I was happy to see Joby release an updated version for the iPad 2, and I liked the original version so much that I ordered the new one as soon as I could. The case came the other day, and I am loving it. Because the iPad 2 is thinner than its predecessor, the new Yogi feels even better in the hand when used…


Sports Gadget Review: Finis XtreaMP3 Wayerproof MP3 Player

Active lives and MP3 players don’t always mix. After all, the iPod touch wasn’t exactly designed to be a ruggedized device was it? That’s where the Finis XtreaMP3 comes in. The XtreaMP3 is a waterproof digital music player that is specifically designed to be worn and used during physical activity. It is waterproof, holds up to 250 songs and comes with an arm band. Let’s take a look. From Finis: Whether you?re surfing, kayaking, or even snowboarding, the XtreaMP3 waterproof MP3 player keeps up with your lifestyle. With a neoprene band that securely straps to the arm, the XtreaMP3 supplies music during…



Notebook PC Review: Hewlett Packard ProBook 4430s Laptop

Last year I reviewed the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Elitebook 8440w Mobile Workstation, and earlier this year I looked at the svelte but ultra-powerful Elitebook 2540p. These represented a fairly typical pair of powerful business notebooks – with the prices to go along with the features! But imagine if HP decided to cram many of their business features into a mid-price laptop that would satisfy corporate IT, the comptroller and end-users alike? Based on my experience, they could call that the HP ProBook 4430s. Let’s look in more detail! The Hype: Equipped to get the job done • Optimized for Genuine Windows®…


Energizer Qi-Enabled 3 Position Inductive Charger Review

I love the idea of inductive charging whereby you can simply lay your device on a base-station and have it recharged without having to plug anything into it. I love the idea but, until now, not the execution. We’ve looked at a few systems and, while they all worked as promised, the requisite charging case or sleeve was too heavy and bulky for daily use. When Energizer offered to send us their newest system we jumped at the chance. Yes, we weren’t expecting too much but we were HOPING the improvements were enough to make it usable beyond the review….


Music Diary Review: Ornette Coleman’s ‘Something Else!!!’ (2011 Reissue of 1958 Recording, Jazz)

Ornette Coleman – Something Else!!! Ornette Coleman – Something Else!!! In 1959 the Ornette Coleman quartet released one of the true masterpieces of jazz – The Shape of Jazz to Come. But it wasn’t his first recording – nor his second, for that matter. Much attention has been given to ‘Shape’ – as it deserves – but this year Concord Records has been releasing ‘Original Jazz Classics Remasters’, and this week we got Ornette’s first release ‘Something Else!!!’. Summary: Every artist starts somewhere, and while many seem to think that Ornette simply emerged from obscurity fully formed as part of…


MacBook Air Accessory Review: Waterfield Keyboard Travel Express

This summer Elana will be moving between our home in New Jersey and our mountain runaway in Pennsylvania a few times each week. Each time she does she will likely take her 11″ MacBook air and a few key accessories: her Magic Mouse and Apple Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard. Waterfield’s new Keyboard Travel Express is the perfect accessory bag for her needs. It holds the keyboard and a few key accessories in a great-looking, well-made, protective case. From Waterfield: Go Fully Mobile. Be good to yourself—and your wrists—and pack along the Apple Wireless Keyboard for the road. The Keyboard Travel Express…


DRY-ALL Wet Smartphone Emergency Kit Review

Update: This giveaway is now closed, and the winners are — lloydrv (tablet kit), visual360photography (smartphone kit), chinoy885 (smartphone kit), and bamfhacker (tablet kit). All winners have been contacted. Thank you for entering, and keep your eye out for more Gear Diary Giveaways! =) Last year 57% of 5200 people surveyed admitted using their phones in the bathroom, and this year 27% of 500 people surveyed admitted to checking Facebook while ‘otherwise indisposed’. Another survey this year said that 56% of an undisclosed number of people use their mobile device in the bathroom, and of those, 27% of the 56%…


iPad 2 Case Review: InGear Smart Folio

The number of iPad 2 cases from which to choose continues to grow and that is a good thing. After all, in the last two weeks alone I’ve seen family and friends continue to adopt the iPad 2 in fairly large numbers and each of these new iPad 2 owners has different tastes and needs when it comes to their device cases. More available cases means more choice and that makes it more likely than ever that each of them will find the case that is just right for their needs. Enter the latest case we have had a chance…


Vivint Adds Security and Automation to a 1970s Era Deckhouse, Part Two: Installation

A few weeks ago I wrote about the fact that we were going to be adding an alarm system and a nice degree of home automation to our residence in New Jersey thanks to Vivint. Well, the process is all but done and I thought in this second post we would take a look at what the installation process actually entailed. I set up a standard installation appointment with the company and was pleased to find out that, unlike so many companies, the guys actually showed up exactly when they said they would. And they were awesome. They explained what…


Marshall Headphones: The Major

UPDATED: Since the introduction of the lower case “i” at the beginning of a device name it seems the sound reproduction world has been solely delivering tiny little chunks of plastic and other material to shove into your eardrum. For some however, we still need something more traditional, something that fits snugly over the ears, not in them. When searching for a new set of headphones I could use while working both in the field as well as here in my little makeshift production studio I received a press release from a PR firm extolling some cool new devices that…


Grooming Tool Review: Klhip “The Ultimate Clipper”

Do you really need to spend $70 on a nail clipper? ($95 if you want the attractive leather case specially designed for it.) Of course not! But, as my lovely wife often reminds me, you get what you pay for. In the case of the Klhip nail clipper, while you can get something that does the same basic grooming function for under $10, you really aren’t comparing apples to apples. Here is take a look at what this high-end nail clipper is all about. From the Company: BUILDING A BETTER NAIL CLIPPER: Why re-design something so mundane? Average nail clippers…


Gear Games Retrospective: Duke Nukem 3D (1996, FPS)

This week we FINALLY get the sequel to the classic 1996 game Duke Nukem 3D. I will be getting a review copy very soon in will have a full review as soon as I can. But in the meantime I thought it appropriate to dig back into the game that launched the 15 year quest for a sequel! The Hype Duke Nukem, the politically incorrect celebrity and ultimate alien ass kicker, defends Earth and its babes from alien invasion. He is a can-do hero who realizes that sometimes innocent people have to die in order to save Earth, so accuracy…


Weather Doodle for iPhone/Touch and iPad

I admit it, I am a weather freak. Part of this is due to the fact that most of my job requires being outside and weather plays a huge factor in how my day or games will go. Another part is due to living in Kansas for a few years as a young kid. Basically, I was scared into learning and being interested in weather. Our county is currently in a drought worse than was experienced during the dust bowl and there does not seem to be any relief in the near future. Yesterday evening we were still at 100…


Useful Things: The Plasma Bulb Night-Light Review

In the 1980s, the coolest accessory you could have in your bedroom wasn’t a lava lamp, it was a plasma globe. I can still remember ogling one at the Service Merchandise store in San Angelo; they cost $199, and I had to save up for several months before I could purchase mine. Before seeing my first globe, I didn’t know anything about plasma; that in “the world of physics it’s also known as the fourth state of matter, and is the closest we can get to “seeing” electricity.” [source] I didn’t know that the “plasma lamp was invented by Nikola…


iPhone 4 Case Review: Shark Eye Rugged iPhone 4 Case

The Shark Eye case for the iPhone 4 may look like just another rugged iPhone case but it is far from it. You see, the Shark Eye case has a built in screen shield that swings out of the way when you need to use your phone and goes back into position protecting the screen when you don’t. From the Company: SharkEye Cases are the best rugged iPhone cases to keep your iPhone and your life up and running. Meticulously engineered to protect your iPhone from serious drops, slips, scratches, pressure and from the same challenges you face everyday with…


iPad Accessory Review: Prop ‘n Go All-In-One

Here’s an iPad accessory that took me a bit by surprise. When I first took a quick look at it I figured this thing would be a bit silly: interesting but silly. Then the thing came and my first thought was “This thing is a big pillow with an iPad stand sewn to the top of it”. Then I used it for a few days and thought, “Okay, this thing gets a good review.” 🙂 What is “this thing”? It is the Prop ‘n Go from Padded Spaces and it is a well conceived, nicely executed, off-the-beaten-path accessory for anyone…


Android WiFi Tablet Review: The HTC Flyer and HTC Scribe Digital Pen

Judie: When I attended Mobile World Congress earlier this year, there was one device which stood out for me above all others — the HTC Flyer. The Flyer is an aluminum-bodied 7″ Android tablet; my introduction to it came while I was still carrying a Samsung Galaxy Tab daily, and I could not get over how much better the Flyer looked and how much more solidly built it felt. It was positively Apple-esque, and that is not a bad thing. Couple that with the matching aluminum digital pen which suddenly made note-taking and doodling seem like some long-lost table feature…


iPad 2 Case Review: The Joy Factory SmartGrip2

We have already taken a look at some of the iPad 2 cases that are now being released that work with Apple’s Smart Covers. The other day Jamie reviewed a case that picks up where Apple’s screen protection leaves off. Here’s another example of a case that lets you also use the Smart Cover you may already own. This one comes from The Joy Factory. We reviewed their SmartSuit2 and loved it. (I’m still using it as one of my two “daily drivers”.) The company also offers the SmartGrip2. It is a simple case that hugs the back and sides…


iPad 2 Case Review: Seidio Active Case for the iPad 2

I tend to be partial to folio-style cases for my iPad 2, but there is something to be said for some of the more unusual “rugged” cases that offer complete protection AND a removable screen cover. That’s where the Seidio Active case for the iPad 2 comes in. When closed, the case offers complete protection AND it brings along the added benefit that the screen cover can serve double-duty as a multi-angle stand. I’ve been checking one out for the past few days; let’s take a look at it. From Seidio: Created for those that have and want to maintain…


2011 Lincoln MKX More Than a Fancy Ford

Across the board, Ford and Lincoln engineers have been working to stay at the front of the technological field in their vehicles and most of that emphasis has been in the implementation of MyFord and MyLincoln technology packaging recently. At the same time, much of the fleet has been getting minor (and in some cases, major) cosmetic surgery and powertrain upgrades. The 2011 Lincoln MKX midsize crossover we tested recently is an example of one of those getting a little of both. Outside we see the new “face” of Lincoln while inside the vehicle impresses both aesthetically and ergonomically. In…