September 2013

Would You Use an Amazon Phone?

The latest rumor from The Verge about Amazon’s mythical phone is that it will be free, or nearly free, even if you don’t have a phone contract. Is this enough to get people over the hump of Amazon’s legendary tracking and into their waiting arms of Amazon Prime and the Amazon App Store? Personally, I’m on the fence. I see two sides to this. On the one hand, this could be a very compelling extra phone or backup phone. For free, or nearly free, it makes for a good “what-if” device to keep in a drawer, or use as a…

Gear Bits

New Kindle Paperwhite eBook Readers Are Better Than Ever

Read anywhere, anytime with Amazon’s new kindle paperwhite. The new paperwhite is faster brighter and more responsive than ever. It features smart lookup, better searching/scroll features and it is more sensitive to your touch. Plus its great display just got even better. And it is just $119 with Special Offers. The 3G version starts at just $179. Preorder here.

Reviews

Case Logic Reflexion DSLR and iPad Backpack Review

Case Logic’s Reflexion DSLR and iPad Backpack stands out thanks to its “split-pack opening” design and a zipper tha runs around the middle like a jagged belt. It opens and allows the top half of the pack folds down and out of the way. This leaves the camera and tablet compartment open and accessible. Check out the $99.99 pack. As you can see this is a rather unusual camera backpack. The Case Logic Reflexion DSLR and iPad Backpack lets you carry a camera, a few accessories, a tablet and some additional gear in something that looks cool and will cost you…

Editorials

5 Things About Apple That Drive Me Crazy!

With a 37-year history, Apple’s story is intertwined with the personal computer and consumer electronics. It has loads of melodrama, huge personalities, and sweeping highs and lows. Right now we’re entering ‘new iPhone’ season with expectations and rumors running rampant – but instead of speculating on new products I’m shaking my head and gritting my teeth about Apple in general. In my head I have been bouncing around all of the Apple-related press of recent months. From the ongoing legal battles with Samsung to the ITC banning veto to the DOJ anti-trust action to seeing same-day articles confirming that the…

Crowdfunding, Health and Fitness

Run-n-Read Helps Out With The ‘Reading On Treadmill’ Issue

Do you use a treadmill or elliptical system for exercise? Do you read while on it? If so, you’ve probably encountered eye-strain as you were moving and trying to focus on the stationary e-device text. Run-n-Read from Weartrons seeks crowdsource funding to deal with this issue by tracking motion and repositioning text to keep it stable in your visual field. Run-n-Read uses a combination of hardware and software to stabilize text. The hardware tracks your head motion relative to the screen and text, and the software runs on your iOS or Android device to shift the text position in real…

Gear Bits

Skull Shaver Keeps Your Noggin Clean

Looking to shave your head and avoid nicks and cuts? Check out the Skull Shaver. This redesigned electric razor lets you shave without shaving cream, get to the back of the head with ease and do it all without turning your scalp into a bloody mess. They are currently seeking funding on Indiegogo. Check it out here.

Music Diary, Reviews

Matthew Finck-Jonathon Ball Project ‘Its Not That Far’ CD Review

The word ‘synergy’ is often thrown at any attempt to work together. True collaboration is much rarer, and results in a whole greater than the sum of parts. And that describes my feelings about ‘It’s Not That Far’ from the Matthew Finck-Jonathon Ball Project. Two great musicians with a solid band and great guest makes some magical music. Musical Genre: Jazz Where to buy: iTunes Artist: Matthew Finck-Jonathon Ball Project Description: From the artist: Matthew Finck, guitar, and Jonathan Ball, tenor saxophone, with their new album “It’s Not That Far,” continue the vast and varied range of collaborations between their…

Game Diary, Reviews

Twin Moons Brings Fun and Choices in Casual Gaming to the Mac

I thoroughly enjoyed the iPad release of Twin Moons from Cateia Games and G5 Entertainment, so when they announced a Mac version of the replayable hidden-object adventure game I knew I had to check it out. Now after playing I enjoy the game even more and highly recommend getting it for either Mac or iOS! Type of app: Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) game Platform/where to buy: iPad; available in the Mac App Store (Also available for iPad & iPhone) Developer: Cateia Games / G5 Entertainment Description: Twin Moons has loads of content, including: – 31 creepy and enigmatic locations…

Gear Bits

JBL Spark Brings Cool Look, Great JBL Sound

Tired of boxy wireless speakers that all look the same? Check out the new JBL Spark . These Bluetooth speakers have a unique megaphone shape, a translucent body and a “cool mesh grill”. Just 7″ in diameter and 6.5″ high, each speaker has a 40mm JBL driver. Yes, these $129 speakers aren’t just a pretty face. Check them out.

Gear Bits

New Harman Kardon SOHO Headphones Look Small but Promise Big Sound

Harman Kardon just unveiled their new SOHO stereo headphones. The $199 headphones feature 30 mm drivers, a choice of straight cable or iOS/Android-compatible inline remote cables, ship with an ultra-slim carrying case, and fold to less than 1.25″ thickness for storage and transport. We’re consistently impressed with Harman Kardon’s headphones and are looking forward to checking these out. Learn more.

Gear Bits

AKG Goes All-In With Their New K323 XS Ultra-Small In-Ear Headphones

AKG’s new K323 XS in-ear headphones are “a breakthrough in studio-quality sound in a compact package”. The K323 XS come in six different colors and promise big sound in a small package thanks to 5.6mm drivers, an enclosed back design and an innovative ear-tip design. The headphones and carrying pouch start at $39.00. Check them out.

Gear Bits

Jabra Solemate Bluetooth Speaker Gets Updated Specs and a New App

In addition to the new Solemate mini Jabra just announced an updated Jabra Solemate. The $149.99 speaker features an enriched sound experience, NFC pairing and comes in red, blue, yellow and grey. A new Jabra Sound App will also be available. We’ll have a closer look soon. Check out all of Jabra’s offerings here.

Gear Bits

Overdose Death from Coffee is More Likely Than Dying from Marijuana

In 2010 nearly 40,000 people died from overdoses, which is more than either car accidents or gun deaths. Of those, more than 75% were accidental and about 60% of them were related to prescription drugs. An additional 26,000 people died of alcohol-induced causes. But one drug you won’t find on the list of overdose deaths? Marijuana. In fact, you can look at some of the bizarre things people overdosed on – such as Monster energy drink, No-Doz caffeine pills, aspirin, Tylenol and Advil, and even near-death overdoses of soy sauce and brussel sprouts! Most overdoses come from prescription painkillers, but…

Vehicles & Gear

All-new Dodge Dart a Serious Contender in the Compact Segment

Fresh from bankruptcy recovery and newfound corporate leadership, Dodge is slowly clawing its way back into the automotive market with new and improved product and it has even resurrected another well-known name from the past and given it new life (a la Alfa Romeo) in the form of the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart compact sedan. No sooner had the ink dried on the corporate restructuring papers did Dodge begin work to bring an all-new compact vehicle to the U.S. market. Hoping to rekindle success it found in the Neon a couple decades ago it was decided to source the architecture…

Gear Bits

Jabra’s New Solemate Mini Has All the Sole… In a Smaller Package

Jabra Solemate is an impressive Bluetooth speaker. Now Jabra has introduced a smaller version- the Jabra Solemate Mini. The speaker, which comes in red, yellow, blue or black, is durable, gets 8 hours of battery life and has NFC for easy pairing. Available Q4, the Solemate mini will be just $99.00. Our review is coming soon. Check it out.

Gear Bits

The KeyCase, CardClip, and KeyClip Project Is Now Live on Kickstarter

If you want a thin way to hold your keys the KeyCase is for you. If you want a thin way to hold your cards the CardClip is for you. And if you want a thin way to hold it all the combined KeyClip is for you. Check out all out here on the Kickstarter page. I’m a backer.

Music Diary, News

IK Multimedia Unveils iRig Pro, an All-in-One Interface for iOS Devices!

Covering technology means never being surprised, except when you are. Today we get the surprising announcement of iRig Pro, an all-in-one interface that my son described as ‘every iRig interface you’re reviewed stuffed into one small box’. That is about right, and at $149.99 I think they have a real winner with iRig Pro shipping later this month! IK Multimedia is marketing iRig Pro based on three major strengths: Universal Inputs, Universal Compatibility, and Universal Apps. Universal Inputs: For me this is HUGE. In our house we have guitars, basses, multiple microphone types and a myriad of MIDI gear. Currently…

Gear Bits

Custom Video Game Covers Class Up Your Video Game Library

I can’t imagine I’m the only guy who’s video game library outnumbers his actual book library 2-to-1. I also can’t imagine I’m the only guy who’s wife would prefer he keep his video game library downstairs, out of sight. For $6, you get 3 custom video game covers from Etsy. Now my video games can look like a librarian’s paradise! In exchange for your $6 JamesBit will provide you with a PDF of your customized video game covers for you to print out at home. If you have a ton of disks that need new, classier covers, he will drop…

Editorials

Week #1 of My Chromebook Challenge … Was a Challenge!

Last week I said that I was going ‘all in’ with the Samsung Chromebook, even though I was already aware of a few limitations. There were limitations when I tried the same thing for the iPad and Android tablets and I persevered, so I plowed forward! Unfortunately some of the issues were fairly significant and fragmented my computing time badly! Setting up a Chromebook is as simple as logging into a web browser. And since I used Chrome almost as much as Safari, I have a full set of bookmarks all ready to go. Spending just a little time with…

Music Diary, News

FL Studio Groove for Windows RT Announced

In a rather surprising move, music app maker FL Studio has launched a new app called ‘FL Studio Groove’ … and they launched it for Windows RT first! The app provides an easy interface for creating grooves and chaining them together to build songs. The app is on sale for $4.99, and will come to iOS and Android eventually. The folks at FL Studio made some other comments about the release, noting that it isn’t related to or compatible FL Studio Mobile, that there is no date yet for iOS or Android, and that Windows Phone is not planned. The…

Gear Bits

Sony QX Series “Lens-Style Cameras” Take Mobile Photography to a New Level

Sony’s new “lens-style” QX series cameras are an interesting beast that look like a pancake-style lens but are much much more. Utilizing Wi-Fi connectivity they transform connected smartphones into powerful cameras. The cameras can be mechanically attached to a connected phone or used as a standalone unit. Priced starting at $250, they will ship later this month.

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