2012

Amazingly, 6% of Drivers Would Swerve to Kill an Animal

Imagine that you are driving down the road and see a turtle on the shoulder … what do you do? Well, if you are Blake Shelton or one of his small-minded ilk, you swerve to crush him (or not as he later denied it), then tweet about it and get abusive to anyone who questions you. Actually, for most people you would either continue driving or perhaps stop to help the animal get to the side of the road in safety. But for some … it is the opportunity to leave the road to show how superior they are by…

News & Features

Hulu Plus Comes to Apple TV… Finally.

Both Mike and I use Hulu Plus… a lot. In fact, I find myself watching more and more of my shows through Hulu than through my cable box. Yes, so long as the shows are available through Hulu that is where I am watching them. I especially love the ability to watch pretty much anywhere, on my iPhone, on my iPad or on my TV through my Roku box. Well, as of today there is another option. Yes, Hulu Plus comes to Apple TV today. New subscribers get a week free trial when creating a Hulu Plus account. You can…

Reviews

BodyGuardz Ultimate Protective Clear Skin for MacBook Pro with Retina Display Review

While I was waiting for my MacBook Pro with Retina display to show up, Dan was kind enough to loan me his 13″ MacBook Air. Once it had arrived, I found his Air inside a protective plastic shell … which I promptly removed. I did wonder for a few moments about whether or not I was taking a chance of having something happen to Dan’s laptop, but in the end I decided just to be extra careful, Sorry Dan! No tossing his Air in my bag next to the car keys, no laying it naked on the carpeted floor just behind the…

eBooks

In Apple’s World, “Amazon” Might As Well Be a Four Letter World

Someone at Apple needs to keep their finger off the big red button. No, not the nuclear codes, the one that rejects anything related to Amazon. Yes, Apple has been relatively quiet lately, but they once again angered the ebook world with another head scratcher of a rejection, this time for a guide to self-publishing. Pretty hard to discuss self publishing and NOT discuss Amazon, but that’s how Apple’s reviewers wanted it handled. According to Teleread and Holly Lisle, the self publishing writer whose work was rejected: Lesson 6 includes my “Amazon River” technique, in which I show students how…

Reviews

ThinkTank Photo StreetWalker Camera Backpack Review

We’ve already looked at a number of bags for carrying your camera, photographic accessories and, in some cases, a tablet or laptop. Those bags all fell into the category of shoulder bags or slings. This time out we are taking a look at a backpack-style system for carrying all your gear. The Think Tank Photo Streetwalker “holds a regular size DSLR with 70-200 2.8 attached and hood in position ready to shoot”. The company targets this bag as being a good fit for “all photographers, from pros to serious enthusiasts” and, having run it through its paces, I have to…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

Das 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 Gleiskreuzung ist Wunderbar

“Gleiskreuzung” is the German word I found when translating “crossover,” as in crossover utility vehicle. I don’t know if Mercedes-Benz used that in naming its entry luxury GLK (as they still refer to it as a sport utility vehicle), but I am sure you can see the possibility. Regardless, Mercedes gives its cute ute a major makeover for the 2013 model year (inside and out) that includes some 1,000 new parts. We recently received the 2013 GLK350, and immediately one notices the new corporate face chiseled into the body styling. The new look does, however, give an appearance of an…

Editorials

Are These The Worst Apple Ads Ever? And Do They ‘Mean Something’?

During the opening ceremonies for the Olympics Apple aired three new commercials, centering on a young Apple Genius with ‘can do’ attitude helping Mac users in different situations. From the opening seconds, I thought these ads were awful. Why? Well, I thought the scenarios were inane, the people inept and thoughtless, and it painted a rather stereotypical view of a Mac user as a tech-incompetent person who needs to be spoon-fed and have their hand held to accomplish anything. That is a view put forth for decades by DOS and Windows users and more recently by Android users looking to…

Gear Bits, Music Diary

Non-News of the Day – Pop Music Getting Louder and Harmonically Bland

There has been loads of talk in recent years about the loss in dynamic range of music – the so-called ‘loudness wars’. Basically, to make the quick impression required by the short-attention span internet age listener, a song needs to ‘pop’ and has about 10-15 seconds to do it. The quick cure for that is simply to bring everything to the front in the mix and make the difference between the loudest and softest sounds smaller (i.e. reduce the dynamic range). Now a study noted at Reuters looks at this in further detail, as well as categorizing the ‘musical diversity’,…

Game Diary, Reviews

PSP Minis Reviews of SNK Arcade Classics Gang Wars and Time Soldiers

SNK Playmore has been releasing a number of pre-NEOGEO Arcade classics as PSP Minis that are playable on the PSP and PS3 systems over the last couple of years. The selection has ranged from popular classics to lesser known games. The two newest additions – the side-scrolling brawler Gang Wars and the top down shooter Time Soldiers – definitely fall into the latter category. Let’s take a quick look and then I go hands-on so you can get a feel for how they play on my PSP Go! The Hype: The SNK minis titles are a commemorative “retro-arcade emulation” project…

Gear Bits

Mountain Lion Roars 3 Million Times, and Now It Is Time to “Read” the Manual

OS X Mountain Lion, the Apple’s updated desktop operating system, is already a big hit. Downloaded over 3 million times in less than a week, the OS looks pretty much the same as OS X Lion, but it adds some great features. Mountain Lion is, according to Apple’s Phil Schiller, “the most successful [operating system] release ever”. What Mountain Lion does is key for any of us who use an iPhone and/or an iPad; it gives Mac desktops and laptops the same tools already been available to us on mobile devices.In other words, it integrates the Apple-experience. iMessage, Notifications, Notes…

Reviews

Tenba Messenger: Small Photo/Laptop Bag Review

If I had to choose one style of bag as my personal favorite it would have to be the traditional messenger. I love the flexibility, the ability to “dress it up” or “dress it down” and I love the ability to carry “just enough” gear. Oh, and I just tend to like the way they look. That’s why I was so taken with the Tenba Small Photo/Laptop Messenger bag. It offers all of the flexibility of a traditional messenger in a bag that is well-made, roomy and looks great. At the same time, it doubles as a highly protective camera…

Gear Bits, Outdoors

Stuffa Jacket Holds ALL Your Stuff

(image courtesy Stuffa) The folks at Gizmodo have stumbled upon a fascinating new clothing line, called the “Stuffa” jacket. It’s a jacket with pockets designed to hold several day’s worth of clothing. What an original concept. I wonder where they got the idea from… Actually, all sarcasm aside, the creator says he had the idea while watching people get creamed by baggage fees: I flew home late April with the remaining staff. It was at Geneva airport that the fun of checking in started and the idea for Stuffa first came to me. Everyone was having to pay the excess…

Editorials, Events

Gear Fest Gear Chat, Smartphone Updates, Samsung’s Naming Confusion and More

Here is the last installment of our ongoing Gear Chat from Gear Fest 2012 series. In it we touch on Android operating system updates, Samsung smartphone naming confusion and Apple’s consumer care. Apple’s walled garden may cause its fair number of issues but the fact that even the iPhone 3GS will get iOS 6.0 and most of its functionality has us pretty impressed.

Reviews

IPEVO Origami Folio for iPad Review

I find myself going back and forth between using my iPad in its simplest state (screen and back protection via film but nothing else) and using a case. When I do use a case I tend to gravitate toward one of the more minimal cases. That’s fine except for the fact that it often means forgoing a built in-stand. Again, that’s not a huge issue since there are stands aplenty available, but with the IPEVO Origami Folio with Fold-out Stand for the new iPad 3 and iPad 2 you get the best of all worlds. Yes, this case offers simple,…

Reviews

Get Addicted with Flow Free for iPhone Review

I do agree that iOS has become a wonderful mobile gaming platform, but not in the way I would have first imagined. For me it is not about high quality graphics and blockbuster titles. Simplicity and the ability for quick play is far more important. My phone is always with me and there are many times during the day I am waiting or taking a break. These times are usually only a few minutes long and are fun to fill with a quick game. Puzzle games are perfect for these situations because the are fun, fresh and often quit addictive….

Gear Bits, Music Diary

In a Summer of Pricey Concerts, Madonna’s 45-Minute Mediocre Show Costs the Most

Imagine that you have paid $400 for a concert ticket and … wait, WHAT?!?! I can’t even get past THAT! Last year both of my sons wanted to go to concerts so I went along – and tickets were $55 for Kid Cudi and $25 for Skrillex. Bruno Mars was part of our NY State Fair package, and my last show was the $40 per ticket for Pat Metheny’s Orchestrion tour. But looking at the image above courtesy of DigitalMusicNews shows that what I paid for 4 Metheny tickets wouldn’t gain admission for ONE of us to many shows this…

Music Diary, News & Features, Reviews

Griffin MIDIConnect for iPad Hands-On Review

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the release at Summer NAMM of the Griffin MIDIConnect, and that the great folks at Griffin sent me one to evaluate. I have had a chance to put it through its paces and found it did the job perfectly, and even offered some other reasons to check it out. Read on and find out! The Hype: Now you can plug your MIDI keyboards and other devices into your iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad. Use MIDIConnect’s MIDI IN port to play your MIDI-capable instruments and controllers into GarageBand or other MIDI apps. Download…

Gear Bits

NBC Skipped One of the Best Parts of the Opening Ceremonies

I don’t know about you, but every couple of years I watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, trying to get through the rather drawn-out and sometimes boring affair interspersed with way too many commercials and inane ‘up close and personal’ interviews. Last night we got to hear about the nicknames of a couple of gymnasts and about whether or not Michael Phelps is afraid of Ryan Lochte. But what we DIDN’T see was a moving tribute that many think was in honor of victims of the 7/7 London bombings that happened just days after the city was awarded the…

Editorials

How to Guarantee That You Won’t Get the Reaction or Results That You Want

There are very few “sure things” in life, but here are a few things about which you can be certain … 1. How to Guarantee that We Won’t Review Your Product You can pretty much guarantee we won’t review your product if you introduce it to us by lying. Here’s a good case in point. The first email was just fine. Name: jon How does one go about having a product reviewed by your staff? We have created a awesome new product called EarSkinz that have been designed to help stabilize the apple earbuds. We not only achieved stability, we…

News & Features

Have a Nexus 7? Waterfield Design Has You Covered

If you got one of Google’s already-popular Nexus 7 tablets no doubt you want a way to keep it protected. Waterfield has options… lots of options. In fact, WaterField offers so many different options that they are calling it a “line of Nexus 7 cases“. What’s in the line? There the Nexus 7 Smart Case, the Nexus 7 Ultimate SleeveCase, the Nexus 7 Slip Case, the Nexus 7 Suede Jacket, and the Nexus 7 Travel Express. As WaterField Designs owner, Gary Waterfield put it, With the Google Nexus 7 flying off shelves and the 16GB version delayed, many eager early adopters…

Gear Bits

“Cinderfella” Reimagines Disney Princess Stories

Like just about every kid in America, I grew up watching Disney movies. Of course, most girls don’t cast themselves as Prince Charming, but that should have been an early clue for me that maybe I wasn’t like the other kids. Apparently I wasn’t the only one rewriting fairy tales! Todrick Hall, who apparently was on American Idol (I don’t follow the show) has put together an adorable mash up of Disney princess tales and pop songs. He casts himself as “Cinderfella”, and he yearns to head to the ball to find his Prince Charming. The whole video is cute,…

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