January 2011

Music Diary Reviews: Welcome to the New Disco Era!

Welcome to another edition of Music Diary Reviews! This time around I look at a pretty broad mix of pop, rock dance & rap music. The title is a bit provocative, but recalling my recent article looking at the state of rock music relative to pop in 2010, it is pretty clear that dance-centric techno-pop ruled the airwaves last year. Listening to stuff like Ke$ha and the Black Eyed Peas really does hearken me back to the disco era of the late 70’s. I wonder if this music will suffer the same backlash as the music of that era? I…

Game Diary, Reviews

Over the Rainbow for iPhone/Touch Review

When I play games on iOS devices, I usually prefer puzzle style games. I noticed Over The Rainbow was on sale for free so I figured it could not hurt to download and give it a try. Despite the cute, childish theme and design, it was quite fun for an old football coach. As you will see, the game is super easy to play, but becomes challenging and addictive as you work through the levels. Let’s take a look! Over The Rainbow puts the player as a cute water droplet that is dropped from a rain cloud. The goal is…

News

WaterField Introduces the Muzetto Man Bag; Call Me Useful, Just Don’t Call Me a Murse

When I got my iPad one of the first high-end bags for carrying that I got to review was the Waterfield Muzetto. I had wanted one ever since I had read Judie’s review of the laptop version of the bag. Her conclusion at the time: I have always been a fan of Vertical bags, in fact one of my favorite purses is the Louis Vuitton Musette, which this bag’s style greatly resembles. I really enjoyed carrying the Muzetto when I traveled to Seattle, and perhaps even more than that — I enjoyed all the comments I got from the other…

Gear Bits

Mac App Store Opens Door to App Store Convergence

With the arrival of the Mac App Store it is easier than ever to see and purchase Mac applications. Having spent some time perusing the App Store over the last few days I was pleased to discover that some of my favorite iOS app are also available for OS X. Of course there is the Mac version of Angry Birds (truth be told, playing it on a touchscreen device is MUCH more enjoyable), but there are also apps like SketchMee. It is the app that that let me make the above picture in a matter of seconds. I love being…

News

The Ethics of Steve Jobs’ Medical Leave

By now you’ve probably seen every blog post out there about Steve Jobs and his medical leave. It’s been a complicated situation since being CEO brings with it obligations that a private individual doesn’t have. On the other hand, Steve Jobs is a private man and deserves the chance to hopefully recover in peace. We could debate this all day, but Businessweek’s resident ethics expert has stepped into the fray with a fantastic and clearly outlined explanation of both sets of obligations (that of a private individual as well as that of the leader of a major corporation who answers…

Events

CES Snippets: Jadu iPad Stand

I did a full review of the Skadoosh iPad stand from Jadu Industries a short while ago. At $69.99 it is on the pricey side for an iPad stand but the build quality, ease of use and awesome industrial design make it one of the most desirable iPad stands I have seen. It is, in fact, the stand I personally use at home now. While we were at CES I passed by the Jadu Industries booth and stopped to chat with the owners/reps for a bit. They are some great people who are committed to bringing thoughtful quality products to…

Events, Reviews

CES Snippets: Mogo Talk XD iPhone 4 Case and BlueTooth Headset in One – Review

Sometimes you have to see a product up close to actually appreciate it. That was the case for me with regard to the MoGo Talk XD. Judie had mentioned this headset and case in on to me a few months ago and I scoffed at it. “After all,” I thought, “who needs a case that actually HOLDS the headset in it?” The idea struck me as an example of “just because you CAN do it doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it.” Then I saw the Mogo Talk XD at CES and ate my words. The idea of a case and…

News

Microsoft Released OneNote for iPhone, Free for Now!

When I heard that Microsoft was rumored to be working on OneNote for the iPhone I was intrigued but skeptical. I was skeptical because I have found most of the stuff Microsoft has released on iOS to be garbage, and with their own phone to support I had very low expectations. But since I use Hotmail, have data on SkyDrive with several of the Office Online apps, I was interested in how it would work. And then I saw on BGR that it was available … and for FREE, so it was time to check it out! Here are the…

Game Diary, Reviews

Michael Jackson The Experience Nintendo Wii Game Review

This amazing dancing game celebrates Michael Jackson’s amazingly inventive moves while players get some entertaining exercise.

News

iDOS Back in the iTunes App Store With Important Changes

Remember iDOS from last October? It was a full DOS shell that even allowed you to load Windows and old games and programs you had lying around on 5.25″ floppies! Of course, due to that, it lasted mere hours on the iTunes App Store before getting pulled! Now it is back as version 2.01, with important differences. According to the developer: The biggest change from iDOS 1.0: iTunes file sharing is now turned off. That means you will not be able to install windows nor games from your old disc collection. However, it has quite a lot of new features…

Events

CES Snippets: Wrapsol Offers Protection, Reduces Glare

At one of the evening events during CES Wrapsol was showing off their wares. The company offers protective skins for a wide range of devices. That is not big deal since there are a host of other companies that do the same thing. What was impressive was their Wrapsol Clean Screen Protection Kit. At $29.95 the iPad screen protector is on the pricey side for a kit that offers screen protection only but when you see it up close and personal it impresses. As the company explains, Wrapsol Clean screen protector film is the easiest to apply and the most…

Events

CES Snippets: Speck Rolls Out a Host of New Cases at CES

Let’s get this out of the way- we love Speck Case. We love them on our iPhones. We love them on our iPod Touches. We love them on our iPad. We love the amazing variety they offer. And yes, we love visiting with Speck at CES because we get to try them all. 🙂 This year was no exception and we wanted to give you a quick look at some of the cases we had a chance to check out. First off we wanted to see what Speck has to offer for the Samsung Galaxy Tab. They have a bunch…

News

iWatchz; Why Just Listen to Your Nano When You Can Wear It?

I wasn’t initially sold on the “nano as watch” concept until I tried on at CES. Now I’m a fan. In fact, I’m a fan who is excited to see a number of options finally becoming available. One company that has bands available in the Apple Store already is iWatchz. Their Q collection is just $24.95 and is available in a number of colors. The bands have style… And so does their promo video. (See if you can figure out what other company might do this kind of ad …) In addition, the company is expanding their line. At CES…

News

iKit Launches iPad Exec Leather Case for iPad

I love the thin protection of a folio-style case for the iPad but there are times when even that is too much. Then again, you still want to protect your iPad from life’s bumps and scratches. That’s where a form-fitting back shell can come in rather handy. iKit has released a new one, the iPad Exec Case, and it looks like a good value. As the company explains, The new iPad exec case combines a carved hard shell with an embedded brushed leather that gives you a stylish and sophisticated look and feel. Provides secure protection for your iPad. The…

News

Nuance Gives Devs Ability to Voice-Enable iOS/Android Apps Through Dragon Mobile SDK

How amazing would it be if your favorite iOS app no longer required you to type in information in order to use it? Imagine something like Google Voice Search, but in any number of apps and with the precision of something like Nuance’s voice-to-text technology instead of Google’s hit-or-miss version. Well that just became possible with Nuance’s announcement that they will be providing access to the Dragon Mobile SDK for iOS AND Android. This will be accomplished through a new self-service website that is part of the new Nuance Mobile Developer Program. This new program will make the same voice-to-text…

Events, News

Victorinox Cuts Into the Digital World in a BIG Way

Just before I left for CES Elana got an 11″ MacBook Air and made it her main computer. I encouraged her to upgrade from the stock 64GB of storage but she said not to, after all, she does little to nothing with movies and music on her Mac so she really doesn’t need the space. I dutifully ordered the computer she said she wanted but INSISTED that she at least upgrade to 4GB of RAM. After all, with the MBA you can’t easily upgrade ANY of the components and the 4GB upgrade makes a HUGE difference. The MBA was a…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2011 Scion xB: Which Way Funkytown?

When Toyota first launched its Scion division of vehicles aimed at younger, hipper consumers the buying public threw them for a loop. The funky new box on wheels (dubbed “xB”) was actually being snatched up by boomers hand over fist.

Game Diary, Reviews

PC Game Review: Majesty 2: Kingmaker

Last week when I reviewed Majesty 2 I gave it a strong recommendation and pretty much fawned all over it. I was quite fond of the game when it was released in late 2009, but something happened since then. In order to play the Kingmaker expansion I had reinstalled Majesty 2 on my new laptop and needed to plow through the original again – and I found myself enjoying it more than ever! The mix of the joyfully light-hearted feel and intense challenge was very rewarding, and I couldn’t wait to see what Kingmaker had to offer. The Hype: What…

Music Diary

Music Diary Quickie: After 2 Months, 5 Million Songs, 1 Million Albums Sold

Way back in November, all of two months ago (I know, eons in internet time!) Apple promised a day that would change everything – or something like that. We all knew what was coming, and on November 16th The Beatles catalog arrived on iTunes. There were many who believed that it was too little, too late. The Beatles box set was already out for over a year on Amazon, and millions of copies of their 13 records had sold. Others thought their was a ‘pent up demand’ that would spring forth on release. Within a week reports let us know…

Game Diary, Reviews

PC Game Review: Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim

While I had heard of the original Majesty, I never played it back in 2001 when it was released and never caught up with it. So while fans of the game might have different thoughts based on comparisons with the original, I got to be amazed for the first time at this wonderful combination of city builder, RTS and RPG. Since then, there have been two expansions I have played and enjoyed and a third about to release as I write this. After those other expansions were released I went back through the whole game once more. And I have…

« 1 2 3 4 5 6 … 9 »