Smartphones & Gear

Brickit Aims to Bring High Tech Creativity to That Mess of Lego Bricks!

Gear Bits

Brickit Aims to Bring High Tech Creativity to That Mess of Lego Bricks!

When my brother outgrew his LEGO bricks back in the early 90s, my mom had the foresight to pack them away for future generations. It’s quite amusing to see my son build things out of the same LEGO his uncle used (and see him occasionally texting my brother to ask why he drew his initials in all the roof pieces). Everyone has that big LEGO bin from years of accumulated bricks, and Brickit thinks they’ve cracked the way to inspire you to see potential in every mismatched choice.

Sony LinkBuds S in left ear of a women.

Gear Bits

Sony LinkBuds S Shrink Down True Wireless Earbuds While Boosting Features

Have you looked at true wireless headphones and thought they’d hit the limit on what can be crammed into such tiny devices? Well, Sony doesn’t believe in limitations, but they do believe in maximizing the earbud experience. Today they’re rolling out the Sony LinkBuds S, which they say are the smallest and lightest true wireless noise-canceling headphones on the market!

Phiaton BonoBuds in a woman's ear; her hair is pulled back so you can see the ear buds.

Reviews

Phiaton BonoBuds True Wireless Earbuds Review: Active Noise Cancellation That Won’t Break Your Budget

One of the greatest things about true wireless earbuds is that they’ve become incredibly diverse, and they are available at just about any price point with multiple feature sets. And now you don’t need to wince at spending a few hundred on earbuds when you can get a solid listening and call experience for less money without giving up extra features like noise cancellation, as we’ve seen with the Phiaton BonoBuds!

The realme GT 2 Pro with display turned on, held in the author's hand.

Reviews

Realme GT 2 Pro Review: Blazing Fast Performance, Excellent Display, and a Battery That Will Last All Day

Realme has built a loyal following by offering higher-end features not generally found on moderately priced smartphones, and with the realme GT 2 Pro, they’ve created a true flagship that won’t break the bank. Loaded with features, including the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform, a large AMOLED display with an adaptive 1~120Hz refresh rate, a massive battery, and plenty of RAM, the GT 2 Pro is one of the best Android smartphone options available anywhere.

Nomad Base One MagSafe Charger Review: Brings Elegance to Wireless Charging

Reviews

Nomad Base One MagSafe Charger Review: Brings Elegance to Wireless Charging

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Nomad‘s products. Their cables are among the best you can purchase, and their cases have saved my iPhone and iPad more often than once. Their charges are also excellent, and their most recent offering, the Nomad Base One MagSafe Charger, is their most refined yet. It’s beautiful… and that’s just the beginning.

Gear Diary Best of MWC 2022

Events

Gear Diary’s Best of MWC 2022

Another Mobile World Congress is in the books, and it was great to be able to attend in person for the first time since 2019! Seriously great. MWC is always heavy on new smartphone releases, and this year was no exception. Even so, there were plenty of other remarkable devices touting worthy upgrades or making their debuts. So with that, I give you Gear Diary’s Best of MWC 2022.

Hands-On with the Realme 9 Pro+ and Realme 9 Pro: Excellent Features Abound in Two Very Reasonably Priced Smartphones

Events

Hands-On with the Realme 9 Pro+ and Realme 9 Pro: Excellent Features Abound in Two Very Reasonably Priced Smartphones

Realme became its own brand, independent of OPPO in 2018; since then, the Chinese company has become a force in its own right. Currently listed as a top-5 smartphone vendor in 30 global markets and six regions, part of realme’s success has come from its firm commitment to make well-designed, aesthetically pleasing smartphones that have competitive features rarely found in similarly-priced devices. The latest models in their lineup are the just-announced realme 9 Pro+ and realme 9 Pro; realme has sent them in for us to check out, so here’s a hands-on look at both devices.

The new Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and S22

News

Samsung Galaxy S22 Line-Up Announced; Galaxy S22 Ultra Picks Up Where the Galaxy Note Left Off

This morning, Samsung held their Galaxy Unpacked event to introduce the Galaxy S22, S22+, and the new S22 Ultra. This latest Samsung S series flagship lineup boasts big batteries, excellent cameras, and fast processors. If you are a Galaxy Note fan, you’ll be relieved to find that the Note lives on in the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, which now sports a built-in S Pen. By meshing the Ultra’s large display, flagship specs, and pro-grade cameras with the Note S Pen’s siloed convenience and note-taking functionality, Samsung has created a smartphone that might just offer the best of both worlds.

Zagg protect

Editorials

ZAGG Protect Phone Insurance Offers to Pick up the Slack When Cases and Screen Protectors Fail

Our phones are our lifeline to everything that connects us to each other, which means that a broken phone is far more than just an inconvenience. Adding carrier or manufacturer insurance can be expensive, and that’s why ZAGG Protect might be worth considering as an alternative. At just $99 per phone per year with a $49 deductible, ZAGG Protect won’t replace your lost or stolen phone, but it does include coverage for drops, liquid damage, cracked screens, and more.

Google Pixel 6 Case Round-Up: Protective Options from Incipio, Vena, and Gear4

Reviews

Google Pixel 6 Case Round-Up: Protective Options from Incipio, Vena, and Gear4

Have you got a Google Pixel 6 series? If so, I’ll bet you love its flagship build, the pure Android experience, the Pixel exclusive features, and the excellent cameras. It may seem like a shame to cover up such a beautiful device, but a naked Pixel 6’s glass body is slick, slippery, and just waiting to be dropped. With that in mind, we’ve got five protective Pixel 6 case options for your consideration, including the Incipio Dual, the Vena vCommute, the Kate Spade New York Defensive Hardshell Case, the Gear4 Havana, and the Incipio Grip.