April 2011

Spibelt Review

I have made it no secret that I was in search of the perfect way to transport my phone while I run. I’ve tried jackets with zippers, armbands, clips…nothing has been quite right. Until last Saturday, where I saw the Spibelt at a race expo. At first I thought it looked pretty dorky; effectively it’s a fanny pack for running. But I tried it on at the urging of the rep, and immediately fell in love. First of all, the Spibelt looks small but holds a fair amount of stuff. I can easily fit a Gu, my Droid and my…

News

Look, Up in the Sky, It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane It’s… A Car??? Terrafugia’s Transition Roadable Aircraft

File this under “I have seen the future and it is now”. This flying car would be the stuff of fantasy, or folly, except for one thing, it is exists and can be ordered now. Called the Transition, this car/plane (or is it plane/car??) is the brainchild of an MIT aerospace PhD Carl Dietrich and it has moved past the development phase in record time with him only conceiving of the idea in 2006. As the Transition’s website explains, Every pilot faces uncertain weather, rising costs, and ground transportation hassles on each end of the flight. The Transition® combines…

Editorials

Spring Cleaning: If an App Doesn’t Work with Evernote or Dropbox? Buh-Bye!

There are specific iPad applications that are key to my productivity day in and day out, and the “qualities” they need to have if I am to use them has evolved over time. Looking back over the ways in which they have changed in the last year or so, I realized that there is a specific pattern to those applications that have become more central to my work and daily life and those that were once useful but have fallen off the island. Strikingly, these changes have less to do with the applications themselves and more to do with secondary…

Reviews

iPad Accessory Review: Breffo SpiderpodiumTablet

Anyone with a tablet has probably learned that it can be somewhat of an awkward device to use when not in an easy to hold position. It is not a problem while sitting on the couch or at a desk, but what about when cooking or laying in bed, or riding in a car — or when trying to use one anywhere else you can imagine that does not involve simply sitting in a chair. Some products act as a stand, kind of like a frame or book stand. Those products work well, but they are not exactly multi-functional. Breffo…

How to Do It Yourself!

The HTC HD2: A WinMo Story with an Android Happy Ending

When the EU model of the HD2 came out in late 2009, it was one of the coolest phones I had ever seen. Knowing it was coming to the US a few months later, I had to decide if I was going to ditch my Mytouch and pick one up. The hardest part about doing that was that the HD2 still ran Windows Mobile 6.5. If you ever had that OS, or if you still have it now, then you know that there is much to be desired with that operating system, and it should for all intents and purposes…

News

Cool MacBook Accessories: Silva Bamboo MacBook Case

This Silva Bamboo MacBook Case looks pretty darn awesome. It is super slim and, as a result, doesn’t seem to add too much size to your MacBook. In fact it pretty much looks like what a bamboo MacBook would look like. The case is handmade of raw bamboo that is milled-out To make room for the laptop. The result is a case that is apparently a perfectly fit for the Mac. Oh, and if you are worried about the wood scratching the computer don’t! The inside is lined with soft wool felt. The case is finished off with a leather…

Gear Bits

HandyBand Magnetic Wrist Band

This falls under the heading of “Now why didn’t I think of that?”. I stumbled across something called the Handy Band yesterday and kind of wish I had come up with it. The Handy Band is a magnetic wristband that will result in “no more searching for dropped screws, nails, nuts or bolts!” The Advertisement: The Magnetic Wrist Band: Introducing the HandyBand, the amazing magnetic wrist band that keeps small metal objects right where you want them. The HandyBand’s unique magnetic circuitry makes any job easier. No more searching for dropped screws, nuts or bolts. Every HandyBand is made by…

Reviews

Computer Accessory Review: Field Monitor Pro with DisplayLink Technology

This is my 13″ MacBook Air. I love it. Especially now that Apple fixed it after my clumsiness a few weeks ago (when I dumped a drink on top of it). With 4 GB of RAM and 256 GB of solid-state storage, the laptop doesn’t feel like a compromise in any way shape or form. It is super-fast, and super quiet. Add in the fact that the 13″ screen has the same resolution as the 15″ MacBook Pro that I was eying a few months ago, and you have what has become, by far, my favorite laptop ever. No, actually,…

Reviews

iPad Accessory Review: AUTUM Turncoat Case

Our friends over at AUTUM are back with yet another awesome product. Just to refresh your memory: we first met the company when they announced release of the Strait Jacket sleeve for the iPad. That was followed by Straight Jackets for the 11 and 13″ MacBook Air. We were quite taken with the design, fit and finish of each; Judie and I continue to enjoy using ours on a regular basis. Then the company announced the limited production run of the Heretic sofa. This was the point at which we knew that we liked this company, their aesthetics and their…

Reviews

My iPhone’s New Buddy: Apple Shell Holster Combo from WirelessGround.com

I received my first holster-style cellphone holder/case this morning courtesy WirelessGround.com. Up to this point I had always just slipped my iPhones into my pocket to tote around be it at work, home or play. My phone was always in some type of candy shell or case to minimize scratches and whatnot but was never on my belt. After just 15 minutes with the WirelessGround Apple Shell Holster Combo I am hooked. The rubberized hard case and swivel holster design offer protection while still keeping my iPhone easy to access. The two-piece unit allows for the phone to slide in…

Gear Bits

Today is the Day Skynet Passes Judgement: The End is Near!

Image courtesy of iheartmovies If you live under a rock and have never seen any Terminator films, then you would have no idea that Tuesday night (4/19) at 8:11 PM Skynet came online and became self-aware. Skynet was a machine designed by our military to take control of our defenses. Giving a the control which According to the Terminator lore today marks the beginning of the end for humanity as we know it. Judgment Day is upon us, and soon the machines will take over the world as we know it. Sarah Connor shows us in T2 what is to…

Gear Bits

I Reviewed It and I Still Use It: The “Thank You Ergotron” Edition

I reviewed the Ergotron Sit–Stand Desk last September. This work-station modification allows you to work at your desk in either a sitting or standing position merely by lifting the entire assemblage up or down. It is truly an impressive piece of equipment, and at close to $400 certainly not inexpensive. My review concluded with: So do I like this? YES! If I had not been sent a review unit would I be buying one? YES again. Having the option to work either sitting or standing and to quickly move between the two is great. Having a unit as well-built and…

Game Diary, Reviews

Bulletstorm Limited Edition PlayStation 3 Game Review

Fast, furious action and fantastic kill moves the futuristic Bulletstorm to the front of the shooter game pack.

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS: Headbangers’ Paradise

A little over a year ago I had written how impressed I was with the new Chevy Camaro RS and its new V-6 with a six-speed manual gearbox. Fast forward and GM sends a V-8-laden SS model of almost the exact same color scheme and, well, perhaps my expectations were a bit too high for their “beast.” For me, the new Camaro still wins out were I only judging styling. Slip behind the wheel and my concerns quickly repeat those of my auto press brethren: Limited sightlines, funky steering wheel and a mismatched dash panel. First though, let’s explore the…

Gear Bits, Music Diary

Random Cool Video: Weird Al Takes on Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’

Not my favorite stuff of his … but perhaps that is because the original song is so totally ripped off from superior Madonna material that I find Gaga to come off as a parody or at least an ironic look at the music industry. Naturally, she (or her ‘people’) wouldn’t allow him to do it … so he is releasing it free similar to the (better than the original) ‘You’re Pitiful’ parody of the milquetoast James Blunt snoozer. Anyway – enjoy Weird Al singing ‘Perform this way’! And while we’re on Weird Al and Lady Gaga … what about Polka…

Music Diary

Pop Goes The Music Diary: It’s Just a SONG, People!

As our schedules around the house have jumped to ludicrous speed recently I have heard less and less pop music … which as you might guess is fine with me. And what we have been listening to is more focused – my kids used their Best Buy gift cards over spring break so we have new stuff from Kid Cudi, Rise Against, Panic! at the Disco, and DeadMau5 rolling. Until the other day … when my younger son was using up the remnants of an iTunes gift card. He bought some GrooveMaker packs for his iPod Touch, a few DeadMau5…

Reviews

Android Device Review: The HTC Verizon ThunderBolt

It’s becoming a problem for me that HTC keeps releasing some of their higher-end phones on Sprint and Verizon; see, I am an AT&T customer. One of my old excuses for why I wouldn’t switch to Verizon was that they were CDMA and therefore didn’t use a SIM card. Not using SIM cards (which are easily swappable into other phones) is a huge problem for people who like to use more than one phone, or in other words, people like me. That’s why the ThunderBolt, a phone that I have thoroughly enjoyed testing, became a bit of a conundrum. It…

How to Do It Yourself!, Vehicles & Gear

HDSLR, Part Two: Getting It In Gear

I did not choose the Nikon D7000 for its digital still photography features, no, I solely based my purchase on its HD video capabilities. This morning I ran out to shoot a few shots of a couple of vehicles I am reviewing this week and the D7000 had the lens on it that is my new workhorse, the 16-85 VRII. Wow, what a nice still camera.

Reviews

Genius Scan for IOS

I recently needed to send a copy of some history key words to a friend for his class. I was not near a computer and did not have a copy on my phone or in drop box. I tried taking a picture of the document, which got the point across, but was not exactly a great way to send the copy. I use Evernote all of the time for similar purposes but it is still just a photo of the document. With this all in mind I began searching for an app that may improve the process. Genius Scan had…

Reviews

Review: Aluratek Cinepal HD Personal Media Player

Something has changed with my use of all of my devices. Due to memory issues, I have gone back to using dedicated devices. I listen to music on an iPod rather than my iPhone and have been looking for a better way to show off my photos and videos than the iPad. It is funny how I have gone full circle with the devices back to a day where I kept many things separate. The Cinepal HD Personal Media Player is a product that could solve some of my issue of photos and video. Let’s take a look. The Cinepal…

Music Diary, Reviews

Music Diary Reviews: Rdio and MOG are Viable Spotify Alernatives … NOW

I have spoken about just how great I found Spotify during a trial period, but while we wait for the inevitable launch in the US, I have checked out two alternatives: Rdio and MOG. And while I’ll likely share more details as I dig deeper in the coming weeks, let me just say that with a few caveats these excellent services have me saying ‘Spotify Who?’ Common Ground Rdio and MOG, similar to Spotify, are cloud-based music streaming services. Each offers a subscription-based approach that allows you unlimited music streaming for a monthly fee. Each also has a tiered approach…

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