September 2010

Book Review: The Man Who Lied to His Laptop

Talking with Clifford Nass is a real treat. He clearly loves what he does, and his passion for his work comes through in his stories and anecdotes. Not everyone gets to talk to Cliff Nass about his studies, but luckily he’s written a fabulous book, “The Man Who Lied To His Laptop”, that shares some of his best work and theories. The basic idea behind many of the studies Nass and his team do is that people respond to perceived emotions and intentions, even if it’s presented by a (supposedly) neutral party like a computer or television. From there, Nass…

Editorials

iPhone 4 Cases: a Case of Case Confusion

I recently uploaded a new video on my YouTube channel, where I reviewed the newest case for the iPhone 4 from Case-Mate. The Hula case is a bumper style case that comes in a variety of colors and includes both front and back screen protection. At the end of the video I also added a comparison video to a case offered by Scosche, the bandEDGE, which happens to look almost identical. While I was in NYC for the Pepcom event last week, I had a chance to preview the Hula case at Case-Mate’s booth and I remarked to the company how…

Reviews

Rightway 550 GPS Review: Keeps You on Track Without Breaking Your Wallet

Image courtesy of Rightway Portable GPS units are a dime a dozen these days; I think I even saw them for sale the last time I ran in to the local 7-11 for a slurpee. A few years ago I remember the GPS boom with the 3.5″ TomTom’s flying on the shelves on Black Friday and for Christmas, but I can tell you most of the time you get what you pay for. Some of the flagship units from Garmin, TomTom, and Magellan can easily cost you $500 or more on today’s market. But if you’re in the market for…

Editorials

Default Case: Good Customer Service Only Gets You So Far

A few weeks ago I told you about the Default Case company. I was pretty impressed with the newly launched iPhone case company’s approach to doing to business. They seemed to be willing to go out of their way and pretty much willing do anything to satisfy their customers. I liked the fact that their representatives used their first names when communicating, they answered the phone when I called, and they were willing to answer all of my questions and concerns. Their current promotion (all cases cost only 1 cent plus a $3.99 shipping fee) has garnered a ton of…

Reviews

Hewlett Packard Elitebook 8440w Mobile Workstation Notebook PC Review

Taking a look at the Hewlett Packard (HP) Elitebook 8440w above, the term ‘sexy’ might not come to mind for most, but for folks who use a business laptop day in and day out, have to travel around and access their data on the go, it is absolutely GORGEOUS. However, what really matter is how it PERFORMS – in terms of speed, functionality, ruggedness, and possessing the features needed to help the widest array of business users get their job done. HP makes a lot of claims about how the 8440w meets those needs, but I wanted to see how…

eBooks, News

Zinio Replaced Paper Magazines and Now… Catalogues!

I’ve made no secret of my fondness for the Zinio iPad app. It is a great way to browse, buy and read an ever growing variety of top magazines. I love always having a wide range of magazines with me. And I love the convenience of having an email show up weekly or monthly telling me that my new issue of RollingStone, Macworld or a new favorite, GreenSource, shows up. Well now Zinio has expanded their range of offerings to include three of Macy’s fall catalogues. It is a first for Zinio and a great new way to use Zinio….

Reviews

GreenSmart Puku Messenger Bag Review

I like supporting “green” products and companies. It makes me feel a little less like “ooh, shiny new toy” and more “ooh, shiny new toy AND I did something sort-of good for the world”. Of course, any product, recycled/green or otherwise, needs to be well-built and functional. So when I had the chance to review a GreenSmart Puku messenger bag, I was excited to give it a spin. Let’s start with the bag itself, and then we’ll get into the things that make it unique and earth-friendly. The Puku came in a very earthy green color, with brown accents and…

Reviews

iPhone App Review- Doodle Cam

Back in the day when MTV was actually all about Music Videos (go figure) there were a few stand-out videos that had effects that, at the time, truly “wowed”! Fast forward a few years and you can now use your iPhone or current gen iPod touch to do exactly the same thing… and more! The app is Doodle Cam and it costs just $1.99. It comes from the same developer who recently released Vintage Video Maker, an app that makes your iPhone and iPod touch videos looks as if they are old movies. That app is fun. Doodle Cam is…

News

Lenovo Releases Their First AMD-Powered M-Series ThinkCentre Windows 7 PC, and We’ll Be Giving One Away Soon!

This is just a heads up! Lenovo and AMD have joined together to create the new M75e ThinkCentre, and the specs are pretty impressive … The ThinkCentre M75e is an enterprise-class mainstream desktop designed for cost-conscious large enterprises and public segments. This is the first M-series ThinkCentre desktop featuring the powerful AMDTM processor AMDTM VISION Pro Technology. The ThinkCentre M75e offers high performance, multi-monitor capability, manageability and energy-efficiency. Built on the AMDTM VISION Pro technology that is known for reliability and performance, the ThinkCentre M75e supports processors up to AMD PhenomTM II Quad CoreTM Bx series – delivering the exceptional computing…

News

Glow In the Dark Car Paint Can Hide Insults Well … Until Dark, Anyway

What you’re looking at is color changing paint; it’s invisible during the day, but at night … well, as the song goes — the freaks come out at night. Gadgets & Gear is introducing a glow in the dark powder that when professionally mixed with the highest quality car paints produces glow in the dark effects that can last for up to 20 glowing hours. This isn’t some one shot deal, either, as the paint’s glowing properties can last for up to 10 years! Sure, you could design some really cool paint design that looks fabulous during the day and…

News

You Wouldn’t Drink and Drive So Why Is Your Smartphone in Your Hand?

The other day I was driving home and was a bit distracted while driving. No, I wasn’t texting. Instead I was trying to look around to see how many of the drivers around me were either speaking, typing or otherwise distracted by using their smartphones. I was amazed, and horrified, to see the percentage of individuals who were doing just that. Then, last night, as I was about to turn off the TV after watching one of the new season premieres I saw an advance blurb for the 11 o’clock news. It said something to the effect of, “Yet another…

Reviews

Speck Pixel Skin HD iPhone 4 Case Review

When the iPhone 4 first launched many of the case manufacturers had cases for the new device at the ready. How this process of creating cases for a device that technically doesn’t exist yet works I have no idea but my guess is Apple forwards certain companies the specs of their upcoming device to go off. While this does mean companies are able to have cases ready on launch day it doesn’t always allow them to properly test them. The iPhone 4 is the first iPhone to have a built in flash. The LED flash, located on the back of…

Music Diary

Idol Thoughts: Give Me Katy and NPH Instead

Last night we got the ‘official’ news of what anyone who remotely follows popular television programming has known for weeks – Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler are joining Randy Jackson to make up the panel for the new season of American Idol. As I have stated before, my family is of the opinion that Idol has been on a pretty drastic slide since … well, even before Paula left, since they started having more obvious ‘plants’ (Carly Smithson) in the line-up. But with the departure of Paula, the foundering uselessness of Kara Dioguardi and the bizarre choice of obvious non-music-person…

Reviews

Review: Everki Track Laptop Messenger Bag

For some time I have been using a backpack as my gear bag. I like the backpack because it provides tons of room and lets me hold onto my college youth of backpacking around campus. My main backpack has been the Everki Beacon laptop that I reviewed here. I loved the quality and features of the Beacon so when I had a chance to review two new Everki bags I jumped at the chance. I was actually ready for a change to a messenger style bag to bring a bit of professional style to my daily gear travels. The Track…

Game Diary, Reviews

Online Game Review: Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures

Is it fair to say I’m a sucker for just about any game with a Star Wars label slapped on it? Yeah, I’d say so! So when I wrote about the upcoming Clone Wars Adventures ‘freemium’ game, I signed up for info and joined as soon as it launched! Now I’ve had a week to tinker around with the service – how does it play? Read on and find out! The Hype: * Extend the Fantasy: Kids no longer have to wait until the next exciting episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated TV series to continue exploring and…

News

Booq Introduces New, High-End Line of Gadget Bags

From the king Cobra case L, to the iPad specific Cobra courier XS, these four cases bring an unmatched elegance and style to the case and bag market Booq makes some of the most stylish and functional gadget bags I have had the pleasure to review. In recent months they have been expanding their line significantly and today they are taking things to an entirely new level. Today Booq will be announcing their new Cobra line of bags. The Cobra line brings a luxuriously fresh design and simply sharp look to booq’s already stellar line of iPad bags, skins, messengers,…

News

Sprint SERO Plans Adding Support for Newer Phones

Before the advent of “Simply Everything” there was an even cheaper way to get Sprint service. All you needed was the email address of a Sprint employee, and you’d qualify for a special plan called “Sprint Employee Referral Offer” or SERO. Basically, it was deeply discounted service, and the people lucky enough to sign up have enjoyed ridiculously cheap wireless for the last few years. In an attempt to drive people off SERO and onto the more lucrative “Simply Everything” plans, Sprint stopped allowing SERO customers to upgrade to new phones. Basically, name a hot phone on Sprint, and SERO…

Reviews

Thinksound ts02+ mic Review: Going Green Sounds Even Better Now

Last February I had the chance to review Thinksound’s first two offerings. The “Rain” and the “Thunder” were the company’s first entries into the earbud market. Thinksound is a company that takes environmental impact seriously. Everything they use in the construction of their products, from the packaging made from recycled materials to the PVC free cable, is all about leaving as small a eco-footprint as possible. And before you ask, the answer is no. Going green doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice quality. Thinksound makes a pleasant sounding, good looking headphone now with the addition of a microphone. The ts02+…

Reviews

Gear Gadget Review- The Violight UV Cell Phone Sanitizer

Fall is upon us. That means more time inside. That means coughing. That means flu. That means… we had all do our best to stay healthy. Obviously the best way to do that is to wash your hands frequently with soap and water. In addition, a new gadget can help. The VIOlight Cellphone Sanitizer uses UV light to quickly and safely kill 99.9% of bacteria and germs that might be living on your cellphone, earbuds and other small gadgets. It is battery operated, simple to use and silent. Best of all it is under $50. It is super simple to…

Reviews

Review: Speck PixelSleeve For iPad, Netbooks

Until very recently, I have not been mobile with my iPad. I was able to get WiFi set up in my classroom last week and love being able to take my magic little device to use as a teaching aid. I previously used a book style leather case that I liked, but was not comfortable in traveling with it in my bag. It just did not seem like enough protection for the iPad. Although I liked the ability to stand up my device with the other case, using it in an educational setting proved to be difficult. I needed something…

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