October 2013

monCarbone Hovercoat for iPhone 5S Case Review

The monCarbone Hovercoat is one of the lightest and classiest iPhone 5/5S cases available. Made from carbon fiber, the monCarbone Hovercoat is “basalt enhanced” to help make sure the case doesn’t destroy your signal reception. No, this case won’t protect your iPhone 5/5S when it is dropped, but it will keep it scratch-free and looking amazing. Check it out. The monCarbone Hovercoat is compatible with both the iPhone 5 and 5S. A simple snap-on case, it fits perfectly on the phone and all but disappears when you look at the screen. That’s a mixed bag, since it also means the…


Charge It All with the Innergie MagiCable Duo with Lightning Connector

With the arrival of Elana’s iPhone 5C, our household is pretty much all-in with lightning connector-enabled devices. Thing is though, that all of our speakers and Bluetooth headsets use a microUSB for charging. That’s where the Innergie MagiCable Duo with Lightning Connector comes in. It is two cables in one and costs under $30. . The Innergie MagiCable Duo with Lightning Connector cable is a rather simple design, but it’s potentially quite useful to people like Elana and me. In its main configuration it’s a 2.6′ cable with a USB connector on one side and a Lightning connector on the…


Give My Yad a Hand – Technology Meets Tradition

That great source of Jewish knowledge Wikipedia describes a yad (literally “hand”) as “a Jewish ritual pointer, popularly known as a Torah pointer, used by the reader to follow the text during the Torah reading from the parchment Torah scrolls. Yads can be made from silver, wood or any material. Mine, however, is something Moses could never have imagined. Since the Hebrew of the Torah has no vowels or punctuation, the yad allows the reader to track from line to line more easily. In addition, the yad prevents the reader from touching the parchment while reading. This is important since…


iFrogz Chemistry Chic Chevron for Apple iPhone 5/5s Review

If you want a simple but protective case that looks hand painted and won’t break the bank, then you may want to check out the iFrogz Chemistry Chic Chevron for Apple iPhone 5/5s. At under $25, it is a relatively inexpensive way to give your iPhone 5/5S protection and a new, rather unique look. Check it and similar iFrogz cases out. There’s nothing fancy about the iFrogz Chemistry Chic Chevron. A simple TPU case, it protects the sides, top, bottom, corners and back quite nicely. It also offers some degree of lay-on-the-table protection. If you do order this case be…


Bring Some Color to Your Audio With Blue Microphones’ Colorful Snowball Mics

Blue Microphones’ Snowball mic is an impressive plug-and-play USB mic for PC and Mac. Now the $99.99 microphones are available for a limited time in Hot Pink, Wicked Purple, Bright Orange, Neon Green and Electric Blue. The Snowball has two condenser mic capsules and can switch between three settings for the best possible recordings. Just $99.99, check it out now.


2014 Honda Odyssey Minivan Sucks in a Really Good Way

While some automakers have abandoned the minivan segment, Honda is out to prove its leadership in this arena yet again with the release of the 2014 Odyssey Touring Elite. The new model has already begun an interesting marketing campaign in the quest to prove the Honda minivan doesn’t suck with the launch of an all-new feature that, well, truly sucks. I don’t really know why it took an automaker four decades to introduce a built-in vacuum in a minivan, as kids have been dropping stuff on the carpeted floors since they were first strapped in the second or third rows….


How Important Are Benchmarks? Enough for Samsung to Tweak the Note 3 System to Cheat!

For some people benchmarks don’t matter … and for others they are ALL that matter. For hardware companies, benchmarks provide an internal performance metric and external bragging rights. But new evidence shows that Samsung tweaked their Galaxy Note 3 to perform better on benchmarks than in ‘normal usage’. This isn’t the first time they’ve done this, either! According to an article at ArsTechnica, Samsung tweaked their CPU performance when a known benchmark app was run, so it would give better than expected results. This was noticed when the Galaxy Note 3 outperformed the LG G2 — despite the two sharing…


How-To Quickly and Easily Use This Low-Fi Method to Boost Your WiFi Signal

The WiFi signal in our bedroom has been terrible ever since we moved into our new home.  Due to where the Verizon FIOS service enters the house, the wireless router is on the opposite side of the house, and  I’ve tried many WiFi extenders to no avail.  Finally, my brother-in-law recommended the Windsurfer parabolic WiFi reflector, and it works beautifully! The instructions included in the website linked above are very simple, and all you need is some printer paper, aluminum foil, scissors or an X-Acto knife, and either some tape or glue.  You download the template from the website linked above,…


Boy with Down Syndrome + Dog with a World of Patience = A Video to Make Your Heart Melt

When I had my wrist fused, my rambunctious golden didn’t move from my side for three weeks. She KNEW what was up and what I needed. The video I found on the Huffington Post shows a dog with more patience and tenderness than I thought possible. Watch it through and see if it doesn’t make you tear up. (And if you don’t get teary, see a doctor to make sure you are actually human.) via HuffPost


Belkin’s New Express Dock May Be Your iPad’s Best Friend

Belkin’s New Express Dock will sync and charge your iPad or any other iOS device with a Lightning connector. The $59.99 stand has a 4′ built-in Lightning-to-USB cable. An adjustable dial on the back of the device means you can dock your iPad without having to remove most cases. You can learn more here. Watch for our full review.


UE Mini Boom Bluetooth Speaker – Get a Pair and Rock Out

  The new UE MINI BOOM is a small speaker with huge sound. It has simple controls, gets up to 10 hours per charge, and offers a 50′ Bluetooth range. Like its big brother the UE Boom, you can wirelessly pair two UE MINI BOOMs via the free iOS or Android UE MINI BOOM app for big, stereo sound. Learn more. We’ll have our full review and audio samples up soon.