2011

Sports Gadget Review: Finis XtreaMP3 Wayerproof MP3 Player

Active lives and MP3 players don’t always mix. After all, the iPod touch wasn’t exactly designed to be a ruggedized device was it? That’s where the Finis XtreaMP3 comes in. The XtreaMP3 is a waterproof digital music player that is specifically designed to be worn and used during physical activity. It is waterproof, holds up to 250 songs and comes with an arm band. Let’s take a look. From Finis: Whether you?re surfing, kayaking, or even snowboarding, the XtreaMP3 waterproof MP3 player keeps up with your lifestyle. With a neoprene band that securely straps to the arm, the XtreaMP3 supplies music during…

News & Features

Coming Soon: Lenovo’s Video Docking Station with DisplayLink Technology

After a brief flirtation with using a Mac Mini desktop system in addition to my 13″ MacBook Air, I’m back to “laptop-only living”; it works well thanks to high-resolution screens, great battery life and enough power to handle just about anything that is thrown at it. One of the things that make laptop-only living easier is a good docking station that makes it possible to connect and disconnect peripherals with ease. This is especially the case with laptops like the MBA which only have two USB ports. Well, we got word that Lenovo is once again employing DisplayLink’s technology, and…

Game Diary, Reviews

The Fancy Pants Adventures PlayStation Network Game Review

This enjoyable hybrid of Drawn to Life, Sonic and Mario is now on PlayStation Network and Xbox 360 Live Arcade with multiplayer (local and online) options for four players.

Music Diary

Pop Goes The Music Diary: Mixed Messages and the Spaghetti Factor

Have you heard the analogy ‘throw it all against the wall and see what sticks’ as used to see what works from a bunch of ideas without using critical thinking? It is based on the cooking test for pasta – you throw a piece against the wall and if it sticks it is done. You see it all the time in entertainment – movies that try to appeal simultaneously to all demographics by dumping in elements they assume will appeal to those groups without considering the greater context. That approach is fairly typical in music videos, where the goal is…

eBooks, Editorials

eBooks Are Not the Same as Music and Movies

Forbes today had a blog post that made me smack my face in consternation. First of all, it was clearly written by someone who has zero grasp of the publishing world, but more importantly, it ignored several more realistic issues in ebooks that need to be addressed first. What was the author’s argument that had me foaming at the mouth? Read on… Last December, Iwrote about an ebook killer app waiting to be built, and that I wanted for Christmas. I didn’t get it. But, with Apple’s introduction of iTunes Match, there’s a glimmer of hope that Apple (or Amazon or Google) could build my…

News & Features

Pre-Order MyPadLife iPad 2 Case From Kickstarter

If you are among the many people who now take their iPad almost anywhere, you probably have the same problem that I do. How do I use it when I get there? Whether it be in the gym or kitchen, there are few cases that allow the iPad to just be used in all situations. Saad Alam had the same problem and decided to do something about it. He created the MyPadLife case for the iPad 2 to make his device more versatile. If you head over to Kickstarter you can watch a video about the idea, read more information…

Editorials, Game Diary

Gear Games Rant: Avadon for iPad Released – 10 Reasons the PC RPG Zealots are Wrong

This week we get Avadon: The Black Fortress from Spiderweb Software on the iPad in the iTunes App Store. I have already gushed about the Mac and PC versions of the game, and will have my full review (hint: it is also gushing) of the iPad version this week. Almost immediately the forums of traditional computer role-playing games – in theory the biggest supporters of an ‘old school’ developer like Spiderweb – exploded with loads of vitriol. It came from all directions – and it is pretty much all wrong-headed. Rather than celebrating one of the few advocates of traditional…

Reviews

Notebook PC Review: Hewlett Packard ProBook 4430s Laptop

Last year I reviewed the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Elitebook 8440w Mobile Workstation, and earlier this year I looked at the svelte but ultra-powerful Elitebook 2540p. These represented a fairly typical pair of powerful business notebooks – with the prices to go along with the features! But imagine if HP decided to cram many of their business features into a mid-price laptop that would satisfy corporate IT, the comptroller and end-users alike? Based on my experience, they could call that the HP ProBook 4430s. Let’s look in more detail! The Hype: Equipped to get the job done • Optimized for Genuine Windows®…

Reviews

Energizer Qi-Enabled 3 Position Inductive Charger Review

I love the idea of inductive charging whereby you can simply lay your device on a base-station and have it recharged without having to plug anything into it. I love the idea but, until now, not the execution. We’ve looked at a few systems and, while they all worked as promised, the requisite charging case or sleeve was too heavy and bulky for daily use. When Energizer offered to send us their newest system we jumped at the chance. Yes, we weren’t expecting too much but we were HOPING the improvements were enough to make it usable beyond the review….

Music Diary, Reviews

Music Diary Review: Ornette Coleman’s ‘Something Else!!!’ (2011 Reissue of 1958 Recording, Jazz)

Ornette Coleman – Something Else!!! Ornette Coleman – Something Else!!! In 1959 the Ornette Coleman quartet released one of the true masterpieces of jazz – The Shape of Jazz to Come. But it wasn’t his first recording – nor his second, for that matter. Much attention has been given to ‘Shape’ – as it deserves – but this year Concord Records has been releasing ‘Original Jazz Classics Remasters’, and this week we got Ornette’s first release ‘Something Else!!!’. Summary: Every artist starts somewhere, and while many seem to think that Ornette simply emerged from obscurity fully formed as part of…

News & Features

Shine a Light on It with iShuttr

Okay, we all know and recognize that the cameras built into our phones are not the best around. Could we do better with a dedicated point-and-shoot? Sure. How about a full-blown SLR? Yeah, of course, stupid question. But the reality is that we use the cameras that are included with our phones because they are convenient. We don’t have to carry extra crap with us; they’re just there, a constant, comforting presence. The best camera you have is the one you have with you. There, I said it. But, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be made better than they…

Gear Bits, Music Diary

Music Diary Songs of Note: R.I.P. Clarence Clemons, aka ‘The Big Man’ With Bruce Springsteen

Last week saxophonist Clarence Clemons suffered a severe stroke, and over the weekend he succumbed to the effects. He was 69 years old. Most famous as the iconic sideman for Bruce Springsteen, Clemons was known as ‘The Big Man’ for his towering stage presence as well as his physical attributes. Clemons was a life-long powerhouse in a band known for explosive live performances – Springsteen was an event truly worth seeing for the quality of the musical experience, in no small part due to Clemons. Bruce Springsteen had much to say on his web site, including: “Clarence lived a wonderful…

Reviews

MacBook Air Accessory Review: Waterfield Keyboard Travel Express

This summer Elana will be moving between our home in New Jersey and our mountain runaway in Pennsylvania a few times each week. Each time she does she will likely take her 11″ MacBook air and a few key accessories: her Magic Mouse and Apple Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard. Waterfield’s new Keyboard Travel Express is the perfect accessory bag for her needs. It holds the keyboard and a few key accessories in a great-looking, well-made, protective case. From Waterfield: Go Fully Mobile. Be good to yourself—and your wrists—and pack along the Apple Wireless Keyboard for the road. The Keyboard Travel Express…

Music Diary

Music Diary Notes: The Fall of Gaga, Spotify in July, Clash Over ‘Friday’?

OK, I called it last week – Lady Gaga has been displaced atop the album charts after leading for only two weeks. This week has also seen Spotify gain Universal Music Group contracts and supposedly be very close to closing on Warner Music Group, the final ‘major’ as they prepare for US launch. Finally, the annoying viral YouTube hit ‘Friday’ has gone from free to rental to gone to ‘director’s cut’ … all in one week! Let’s take a look. Lady Gaga The graph at the top shows the sales of Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ in the three weeks…

News & Features

Unboxing and Hands-On: VAIO S-Series ‘Charged and Ready’ Program

I have owned Sony products that I bought myself for more than 30 years, starting with the original Walkman, and consisting of audio/video (cassette, CD, and DVD), televisions (tube and flat panel), computers, gaming systems, and more. My wife bought a cute VAIO last year with a 13.3″ screen, a Core i5 processor, and a really nice pink finish. The point is – in spite of how much I beat up Sony for a variety of reasons, I am a loyal customer for one huge reason – they make great stuff. So when I had the opportunity to evaluate their…

Reviews

DRY-ALL Wet Smartphone Emergency Kit Review

Update: This giveaway is now closed, and the winners are — lloydrv (tablet kit), visual360photography (smartphone kit), chinoy885 (smartphone kit), and bamfhacker (tablet kit). All winners have been contacted. Thank you for entering, and keep your eye out for more Gear Diary Giveaways! =) Last year 57% of 5200 people surveyed admitted using their phones in the bathroom, and this year 27% of 500 people surveyed admitted to checking Facebook while ‘otherwise indisposed’. Another survey this year said that 56% of an undisclosed number of people use their mobile device in the bathroom, and of those, 27% of the 56%…

Reviews

iPad 2 Case Review: InGear Smart Folio

The number of iPad 2 cases from which to choose continues to grow and that is a good thing. After all, in the last two weeks alone I’ve seen family and friends continue to adopt the iPad 2 in fairly large numbers and each of these new iPad 2 owners has different tastes and needs when it comes to their device cases. More available cases means more choice and that makes it more likely than ever that each of them will find the case that is just right for their needs. Enter the latest case we have had a chance…

Gear Bits, Music Diary

Music Diary Notes: Relive Monterey Pop With Wolfgang’s Vault!

Hard to believe but the Monterey Pop festival – which was the first huge gathering of the psychedelic counter-culture of the late 1960’s and featured artists such as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and The Who – happened 44 years ago this weekend! To help celebrate, Wolfgang’s Vault has opened up their great collection of memorabilia! Here is the description: Two years before Woodstock, this three day celebration embodied the themes of the new counter-culture and became the template for all future music festivals. The event gave Jimi Hendrix and the Who their first major US appearances, and the world its…

News & Features

Random Cool Video: Astronaut’s View of Earth in Real Time

Technology is cool. The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo has just unveiled a massive 10 million pixel globe that shows you the view of the earth as if you were looking from space. But it gets better – you can interact and learn from touchscreens located all around the globe! Here is some more info: A new, gigantic Japanese globe unveiled in Tokyo features 10,362 OLED panels that show constantly updated satellite images of Earth. The nearly 20-foot-in-diameter globe, called Geo-Cosmos, displays Earth’s current appearance in more than 10 million pixels, an incredibly high resolution that…

Gear Bits

And You Thought Veggie Burgers Were Weird…

I’m a huge fan of the television show “True Blood”. The show is set in a world like ours, except the Japanese have perfected artificial blood, which has prompted vampires to “come out of the coffin”. In real life, though, the Japanese haven’t invented fake blood; they’ve turned poop into food! No, this is not a joke. According to Fox News: Japanese scientist Mitsuyuki Ikeda from the Okayama Laboratory certainly doesn’t believe in human waste. He thinks that’s perfectly good protein you’re sending out to sea, and he’s found a way to extract it, mix it with steak sauce and create…

News & Features

One Vancouver Couple Chose to Make Love, Not War!

Image from Rich Lam/Getty Images I wrote about the awful riots in Vancouver following their team’s loss in the Stanley Cup finals (to my team, Yay!), but at least there is some sort of silver lining in what has become one of the most iconic images from the fracas – the ‘kissing couple’. It was highlighted through Twitter: @buzzfeed You forgot one of the best ones – Vancouverites who know to make love, not war: http://ow.ly/5jf9o That pointed to this image, from Rich Lam of Getty Images. Initially there was some concern that this was TOO perfect, so it must…

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