2010

Survey Uncovers Workplace Behavior and Jargon You Find Annoying

I have just past 1.5 years with my current company after relocating after a layoff from the previous job I had for the better part of 20 years … and I knew I was truly ‘home’ a few weeks ago when I used some of the homespun jargon naturally without thought. Every company regardless of size or industry has its own set of jargon and habits, and a study by Opinium Research reported by Reuters finds the stuff most folks find annoying. Here are the workplace habits: 1. Grumpy or moody colleagues (37 percent) 2. Slow computers (36) 3. Small…

Music Diary, News

After 9 Months of ‘Variable Pricing’ … Music Sales Are Down

Image Courtesy of HardwareZone I think we all recognized the REAL intent last year when Apple finally caved to the music industry to allow for a new price structure in exchange for getting the same DRM-free music they were already giving everyone else: it was to make more money from every type of consumer. Anyone who didn’t get the message that day saw the truth soon enough – like my kids who instantly saw that a $15 iTunes Gift Card was worth about 4 songs less than before. Well, it turns out that folks are none too happy – and…

Vehicles & Gear

Snow Day with the Nissan Z Roadster

Nissan sent me the all-new Z roadster to test this week. Woohoo!

How to Do It Yourself!

Travel Tips on a Snowy Day

I got back from San Francisco just in time to be snowed in here in New Jersey. It was the quickest trip to the West Coast that I have ever taken but it was actually the easiest. I don’t tend to do a tremendous amount of traveling. In an average year I’ll be on a plane four or six times maximum. I am, however, currently in the midst of an unusual period that has me flying quite a bit more than usual. In the last 3 1/2 weeks I have been on six different flights and I have another trip…

Reviews

Siri Assistant for iPhone Review

The iPhone has many applications to find restaurants, taxi cabs, movies or weather. Each of these apps have a unique UI to find these places or events. Siri has brought yet another interesting method of search and discovery. No more endless clicking on links and pages to get things done on the Internet. Delegate the work to Siri and relax while Siri takes care of it for you. Need a table for 2 at your favorite restaurant next Thursday? Just ask Siri. Need a taxi right now? Just ask Siri and with a single request the cab’s on its way….

News

Dog-e-Minder for the Absent Minded Pet Owner

I have mixed feelings about the Dog-e-Minder pet assistant. On the one hand, it looks like this device could be an invaluable tool for remembering pet medications – especially when they have to be administered more than once a day, or it could serve as a way to remember the last time you took your puppy outside during potty training. On the other hand, it seems like the type of person who needs help remembering when the last time they fed or walked their dog might be better off with a cat. Was that too judgmental? Anyway … The simple,…

Reviews

The AT&T LG eXpo Windows Phone with Pico Projector Review

This is a joint review between Jason and Judie. Jason’s comments will be in black; Judie’s will be in blue italics. I recently got to spend a few days with the AT&T LG eXpo. Quite honestly, the main attraction for wanting to use this Windows Mobile 6.5 packin’ phone is its ability to be used with a Pico Projector add-on for presentations, demos, or home movies. As misfortune would have it, the demo unit I was sent shipped without the Pico Projector. Arggggghhhhh! : -( I received the LG eXpo a little over a month ago. Just like Jason, I…

Reviews

Aperion Home Audio Link Review

Sometimes you just want to place your speakers in a different spot than your audio source. The Aperion Home Audio Link just might be a option. Let’s see how it works.

Reviews

Pleasantly Waste Time with Onmsoft’s Squaree Puzzle Game

I’m a big fan of puzzle games, especially ones that don’t have a time element involved. (Or preferably don’t require excellent twitch reflexes and small muscle coordination. Glyder is about the fastest-paced game I can handle. I have this neck injury, see . . .) I’ve spent hours playing everything from Scrabble to Myst to Bejeweled. So when Onmsoft came out with a new puzzle game that didn’t have a time element–or at least let you choose a non-time-element option–I wanted to check it out.

News

The Urbantrim Squidarella Brings Color to a Rainy Day

the dry Squidarella Like much of the country, West Texas has been experiencing a wetter than usual late winter. Rather than snow, we have had rain … nearly 6″ in some parts of my county alone. Due to the weather, I’ve found myself reaching for an umbrella more times in the last couple of weeks than I had in the last few years. And since my umbrella has basically become a regular accessory, I can’t help but wishing that it was as colorful and interesting as this one. Urbantrim has just launched a new collection of color changing umbrellas. “The…

eBooks, Reviews

Bookeen Cybook Gen 3 Review

The Cybook Gen 3 is a few years old (it was released in 2007), but about six months ago it received an update allowing it to read Adobe ePUB files, giving it new relevance in an increasingly ePUB focused ebook world. Thomas sent me his Cybook to update with the new firmware and review, so let’s take a look! Does it stand up well against my Kindle? Is the Cybook worth the $350 Bookeen lists it for? Read on and find out!

Game Diary, Music Diary, Reviews

Mass Effect 2: Video Game Soundtrack Review

I recently reviewed the full soundtrack for Dragon Age: Origins, and a large part of my criticism was that it wasn’t a great value – it released well after the game was out, and suddenly made folks who paid for a ‘deluxe’ version aware that the ‘Soundtrack’ they got was really a sampler. Now the Mass Effect 2 Soundtrack has arrived, how does this one measure up, both musically and as an overall value?

Reviews

Review – Danglets iPod Neck & Wrist Strap

Apparently in Japan and some other countries it is very popular to wear your cell phone on a neck strap – especially when using it as a media player. That trend has not hit North America. Now Collins America hopes to make it more popular through the introduction of the Danglet, an accessory that clips into the docking connector of any modern iPod or iPhone device and allows you to keep it readily available around your wrist or neck. So how does it all work?

eBooks, News

Amazon Scores Another Exclusive

Looks like Ian McEwan and Stephen Covey have company in the Amazon exclusives club! Gavin De Becker, author of “The Gift of Fear”, has an exclusive with the Kindle Store for one year. This is probably Amazon’s best defense against the agency model that’s all the rage among scared publishers; Amazon guarantees themselves great content, the author gets a raise, and the consumer wins too! And if you don’t know who Gavin de Becker is (I didn’t!), Amazon’s press release has some details: “The nationally bestselling ‘The Gift of Fear’ is a perennial bestseller in its category, and de Becker’s…

eBooks, News

Random House Stands Alone With Amazon?

Random House has weighed in on the eBook price wars, and it looks like Macmillan, Hachette and Harper Collins won’t be sending them a fruit basket next Christmas. At the American Bookseller’s Association Winter Institute meeting, Random House made it clear they aren’t interested in pursuing the same “agency model” as their three colleagues. From the Mobileread forums: The only bright spot for Amazon, and Kindle owners, came from Madeline McIntosh, the President of Sales, Operations, and Digital for Random House. She pointed out that publishers “have no real experience at setting retail prices.” She also revelaed that one of…

Reviews

SplashID for Android Review

We’ve previously reviewed SplashData’s password protection program, SplashID, in various formats and generally given it favorable ratings (here, here, and here). I’ve used it as my standard password protection program for a while now. When I recently acquired a Motorola Droid, in addition to checking out some new, great programs for the Android operating system, I also wanted to see which of my standard programs were available for Android. SplashID, which is also available for iPhone, Windows Mobile, Palm, Series 60, and BlackBerry, is SplashData’s first Android application. The Android version shares a lot with the other platforms, so anyone…

Reviews

Thinksound Headphones: Green Sounds Good, Really Good

Going green and buying electronics usually don’t mesh very well. Thinksound set out to create great sounding headphones that were also friendly to the environment too. Not an easy task to say the least, but one the company took very seriously. Thinksound‘s lineup currently consists of two eco-friendly headphones. The company was kind enough to send me both to review. Does being “green” mean you have to sacrifice sound quality? Click on through to find out, but here’s a hint, in a word, nope….

Reviews

AblePlanet True Fidelity with Linx Audio Review

Having done some traveling during December, you start to get used to the accompanying rumble associated with it, be it from passengers waiting for a plane or the sound of an engine a few feet from your ear. The best way to completely drown the world out is with a decent pair of headphones, and if you couple those with noise canceling you are onto a winner. While noise-canceling headphones have typically been a pricey proposition, these new ‘phones from AblePlanet come in at just $129.99, and seem to be pretty good value.

Gear Bits

Travel With The booq Taipan Lift

I am reviewing the booq Taipan Lift ($89.95 – $99.95) by using it during my quick trip to San Francisco for TeleNav’s Waypoint. It is a briefcase style laptop bag which, to be quite honest, isn’t my preference. (I tend to like messenger bags and backpacks.) Having just gone through airport security, however, I am totally sold on this bag for travel. There are, in fact, three specific design aspects of it that have already come in rather handy.

News

3D Rugby Hits England!

I love rugby. I played it in college, and again for a few years as an adult. If you’ve never played, imagine American football merged with soccer. Rugby is extremely fast-paced, with lots of hits and action. Part of that fast pace means sometimes you’re left scrambling trying to follow the game. O2 and Cineworld are riding the 3D craze with a new way to change that; they’re airing England’s national rugby games in theaters in 3D! From the Guardian‘s review, it seems like it was overall a huge success: The international game has long been a geometric business, a…

How to Do It Yourself!

TextExpander touch Expands App Intergration

It was a little over a week ago that I returned to using the iPhone of full-time. I’m pretty happy with the decision and I’m enjoying having it as the sole device I rely upon. I am still carrying my Blackberry Bold with me but haven’t really used it for more than a few seconds. One of the things I’ve discovered since returning to the iPhone full time is that typing on it seems to be far easier and more accurate than ever for me. I’m not sure why this is so, but it definitely is the case and I’m…

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