2012

Wine Caddys from H & K Steel Sculptures: Protect Your Bottle!

Maybe the only possible thing wrong with a bottle of good wine is that it comes in a breakable container. It is so sad to watch a grown man (me) cry when a bottle accidentally gets knocked off the counter and hits the floor with a crash. Not to mention the mess that broken glass and red wine can make on a floor. We used to joke that if you ever dropped a glass in my family’s kitchen that everyone would be banned from that room for a month by my mom and her fear of slivers in our slippers….

Reviews

XtremeMac Microshield Style Case for iPhone 5 Review

Here’s another XtremeMac case for the iPhone 5. This time out it is covered in a layer of cork. This adds visual appeal but also offers some practical benefits such as making it easier to hold than some of the more slippery cases. At under $30 the case is a good deal. Were it to include a screen protector it would be an even better deal. It doesn’t. But I still like the case. From XtremeMac: XtremeMac mixes style and function with these durable cases for the new iPhone 5 device. Durable, hard shell finish protects your iPhone 5 and…

eBooks

Powell’s and Kobo Team Up

If you ever find yourself in Portland, Oregon, you must visit Powell's Books. Several years ago, my wife Sarah and I were out that way, and we visited Powell's. Two hours and a huge stack of books later, we finally left. It was just that awesome of a bookstore. Unfortunately, the book industry is moving swiftly towards an ebook future, and Powell's needed a reliable way to hitch on for the ride. They were dumped by Google when Google Books dropped outside vendors, but luckily for Powell's they have a new dance partner: Kobo books! According to Powell's website: At…

Reviews

XtremeMac Microshield Stand Video Review

XtremeMac has released a bevy of new cases for the iPhone 5 and were kind enough to send a few for review. This time out, we are looking at the XtremeMac Microshield Stand and giving two review samples away. Let’s jump in. From XtremeMac: Microshield™ Stand includes an integrated viewing stand that comes out of the case for watching videos or FaceTime™ applications, and then folds in seamlessly when not in use. Designed from durable, hard plastic material to protect your iPhone 5 device and avoid scratches, dust and dirt. Features: Seamlessly integrated viewing stand for watching videos or FaceTime…

Music Diary, News

Green Day Streams Second New Album of 2012, ‘¡Dos!’ in Advance of November 13th Release

Back in September Green Day streamed their ‘first of three’ albums ‘¡Uno!’ on Facebook for a week before retail release. Now that ¡Dos! is coming out next week … they are streaming THAT as well. You can check it out on the Rolling Stone website. The band also pulled the release of ¡Tre! from 2013 into December 11th as a gesture to fans after recently deciding to postpone all tour dates through February based on the rehab situation for singer Billie Joe Armstrong, as noted at Guitar World: ¡Dos! is slated for a November 13 release, with its follow-up, ¡Tre! recently…

Gear Bits, Music Diary

Forbes Lists the 6 Top Earning Dead Musicians

There is an old maxim about an artist suddenly becoming much more wealthy and famous after death, which has been turned into countless ‘movie of the week’ plots about faked deaths and so on. The reality is the more often than not – famous people remain famous for some time, and unknowns tend to stay that way as well. But there is still considerable interest in those artists who continue to generate loads of revenue for years and even decades after their deaths. Last week Forbes rounded up 6 artists who made more than $5 million in the last year,…

Game Diary, Reviews

Masters of Mystery Blood of Betrayal HD for iPad Review

Type of app: Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) game Platform/where to buy: iPad (iPhone version here); available in the App Store Developer: Big Blue Bubble / G5 Entertainment Description: Solve a riveting new case in this challenging hidden object sequel to Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion. Join Detective Carrie Chase while she investigates a troubling double homicide in an exclusive penthouse. Track clues from one location to another, uncover the leads using your forensic tools and search for evidence that will help you nab a killer. Be ready to experience deception and betrayal in this titillating series of games!…

Game Diary, Reviews

Totem Tribe Gold HD for iPad Review

Type of app: Real-time Strategy (RTS) game Platform/where to buy: iPad (iPhone version here); available in the App Store Developer: Enkord / G5 Entertainment Description: Help Aruku, a chief of the Hawk tribe, restore peace and lead her tribe to a better future in this real-time strategy and adventure game! On a beautiful chain of islands, life used to be peaceful until a comet fell from the sky. Now, tribes and creatures that once lived in harmony are fighting each other. Help reestablish balance by exploring the islands, gathering sacred Totems and returning them to their home – the Cradle…

News

Flipside Wallet Introduces the STRATA, the World’s Most Secure Minimalist Wallet

My Wallet of choice is the Flipside 2X from Flipside Wallet. It doesn’t look like a traditional wallet, and that’s a good thing. No, this wallet is made from a rigid Reinforced Polycarbonate. It looks like this… It gets strange looks when I pull it out but I love my Flipside 2X and have used it daily since first writing my review of it back in October of 2010. Read the review. I like the fact that it is RFID shielded so thief’s can’t scan it and love the fact that, thanks to its rigidity, it forces me to keep my…

Gear Bits, Music Diary

IK Multimedia Opens New High-Tech Facility in Italy

The business model for a low-cost product maker seems fairly established: have some in-house designers, an intermediary group in Asia to work with a prototyping partner, and a contract manufacturer in Asia to handle mass production once the design is finalized. But in the last couple of years more companies and countries have sought to bring more manufacturing back to their home nations. There are a number of reasons for doing this, from speed of innovation, information control (i.e. leaks), and the fact that more and more companies are finding ways to develop a cost-competitive infrastructure. But it remains mostly…

Game Diary, Reviews

Royal Trouble Hidden Adventure for Kindle Fire Game Review

Royal Trouble Hidden Adventure is a Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) game for the Kindle Fire; it is available in the Amazon AppStore for Android, and its developer is Orchid Games / G5 Entertainment. Description: In this critically acclaimed adventure quest, help two charming royal heirs escape from a secluded island! Princess Loreen and Prince Nathaniel find themselves locked in a dungeon without any idea of how they got there. She is bright, witty and rebellious. He is handsome, smart and brave. Unfortunately, they can’t stand each other! Take control of both the Prince and Princess and help this hilarious…

Music Diary

IK Multimedia Brings iGrand Piano to iPhone!

I’ve already written about the release of iGrand Piano for iPad, and I’ll have my review coming soon … but now you can get the same excellent sounds for the iPhone and iPod Touch! IK Multimedia has just released iGrand Piano for iPhone in the app store for $19.99! Here is what IK has to say: IK Multimedia – the leader in mobile music-creation apps and accessories for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch – is proud to announce the release of iGrand Piano for iPhone and iPod touch, a concert quality, highly playable, and extremely expressive app, offering 17 gorgeous…

Editorials

Weeks Number 2 & 3 of My iPad-Only Challenge!

Welcome to the second ‘weekly’ (yes, it has been a month since my last one) report on my quest for the 99% computer! (Here is my first update) As noted, my plan was to use my iPad for as much as I possibly could, and note whatever functions required me to use a ‘real’ computer. I had planned on reporting weekly, but I haven’t done that – what could that mean? Anyway let’s get to it! Business as Usual The biggest thing that has kept me from writing much about this process was … nothing really changed. I already had…

Reviews

RadTech’s WaveJamr Stereo Bluetooth Wireless Audio Interface Review

I sold my iPhone 4S and bought an iPhone 5. That meant saying goodbye to my iPhone’s 30-Pin connector and welcoming the new smaller dock. I have an iPad mini, and it too has the new dock connector. At least I have a 30-pin dock connector on my iPad. Oh, wait, I ordered the new iPad and will be selling my loaded iPad 3 as soon as it arrives. That means that, within a short while, none of my “30-pin sporting” speaker docks will be of any use to me. Actually, that’s not quite true. Thanks to products like RadTech’s…

News

AT&T Will Have the Nokia Lumia 920 for $99.00 and the 820 for $49.99; Preorders Begin November 7th

After attending the Windows Phone launch event last Monday, I came away with an idea of which new devices I would most enjoy using, and my first choice was the Nokia Lumia 920. I’ve got an HTC 8X in hand (review coming soon), and now we have solid availability information from AT&T. Today, Nokia has announced that the “highly anticipated Lumia 920 flagship Windows Phone 8 smartphone will be available exclusively through AT&T at a price of $99.99 with a new two-year contract, available on November 9th with preorders beginning November 7th. For a limited time and while supplies last, AT&T…

News

Slacker App for Windows 8 Launched and Will Livestream ABC Election 2012 Coverage

For those individuals like me who have just started using the latest Microsoft OS incarnation that is Windows 8 on their PCs, Slacker announced the official launch of their music service supporting Windows 8. The free Slacker app is designed such that it takes advantage of the new tiling and UI aspects of Windows 8, multitasking, and even the Share charm feature. In Windows 8, apps like Slacker don’t flip to the “old” Windows 7-style desktop but are integrated into the Windows 8 UI, providing a fluid, seamless experience, particularly if you’ve set up Windows 8 with a Microsoft Live…

Vehicles & Gear

Back to the Future for the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder

Nissan has followed ranks of the likes of Ford and the Chrysler Group taking a risky move away from frame-based architecture to underpin its newest of sport utes, specifically Pathfinder from the Nissan folks. Nissan is taking Pathfinder back to a unibody chassis as it did for the second-generation vehicle in model year 1996. And, like then, Nissan is outfitting the truck with a 3.5-liter V-6. Unlike its predecessor, this fourth-gen vehicle has slimmed down while increasing in size and operates primarily in front-wheel drive with the rear wheels throwing in their two cents when driving conditions get a bit…

News

Deciphering the Real from the Fake: Hurricane Sandy Edition

If you watched some of the Hurricane coverage, you’d think the world had come to an end in New Jersey, New York and other areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. While there are a lot of people that have lost homes, and some areas were severely damaged, if you’d look at some of the images from this post on Buzzfeed proclaiming to be of the New York area during Hurricane Sandy, they depict the worst case scenario. I won’t repost a lot them here, as people posted them all over social media during the storm. None of them are real. Many…

Reviews

Incipio NGP Impact Resistant Case for iPad mini Review

Shortly after we got power and internet back my new iPad mini arrived. I hadn’t had much of a chance to check it out until today but I will say my first impressions are rather positive. Sure, I wish it had a Retina display but there is no doubt that, at least for me, having the lower screen resolution isn’t a deal breaker. I did want to protect my iPad mini from day one and Incipio was kind enough to make sure I had one of their NGP cases in hand before the iPad arrived. (To be precise, I had…

Gear Bits, News

Has iOS 6 (and 6.0.1) Wrecked Your WiFi Connectivity? These Steps Might Help

One of the big issues I noticed immediately with iOS 6 and particularly with the iPad Mini was maintaining connectivity to WiFi at home and at work. The basic issue is this – when the iPad sleeps the WiFi turns off (to maintain better battery life), but it happens very quickly and doesn’t automatically re-connect. My first inkling of an issue was that during my ‘iPad Only’ quest I have been consuming data MUCH faster than before, but not really doing more ‘data heavy’ stuff on a cellular connection. At home I am always on WiFi and at work I…

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