2013

Ventev Chargesync Cables and USB Chargers Review

I found out about Ventev shortly before CES. The original plan was that their PR company would send some cables and chargers direct to our hotel, but that box got lost somewhere along the way. After returning home, a new shipment was arranged, and what was inside the box was quite impressive — not only because Ventev sent me such a generous assortment of items to try, but because of the quality of the items I was sent. Let’s jump right in and start with the Ventev Chargesync Cables … Have you ever paid attention to the quality of the cables…


Spigen SGP Leinwand Leather Case for Apple iPad mini Review

The Spigen SGP Leinwand Leather Case for Apple iPad mini is the company’s high-end case for the iPad mini. Made from gorgeous full grain leather, it is constructed without any sewing, it is handmade, and it has a soft microfiber interior to keep your iPad mini safe and secure. The Spigen SGP Leinwand Leather Case for Apple iPad mini comes in three colors, and has an MSRP of under $75. Let’s take a close look at the case in both pictures and on video so you can decide if this is the best case for your iPad mini. The full…


Google Reader and Google Keep, You Get What You Pay For

Google Reader and Google Keep are two different services, but when placed side by side they offer a cautionary tale for anyone using the web. There has been a good deal of chat among the Gear Diary team on our backchannel, and  Judie, Mike, Carly and I have been further discussing the demise of Reader and the introduction of Google Keep among the four of us quite a bit. Here’s some of what we have to say… As Joel posted Wednesday, Google has just rolled out Keep, their Evernote and OneNote competitor. Evernote, as you likely know, offers users a…


Newer Technology Power2U AC/USB Wall Outlet Review

Yesterday I posted the first in a series of posts on the “Aftermarket Smart Home”. In this series of posts we will look at some of the current offerings that let you add smart home functionality to your abode without hard-wiring permanent solutions into the walls. In this post we’ll look at an item that, while not a smart home product, does help your home become a bit “smarter”. This is especially important since anything that goes into an aftermarket smart home may not require hard-wiring, but it will require power. The focus of today’s review — the Newer Technology Power2U AC/USB…


Twelve South BookArc for iPad and iPad Mini Video Review

Twelve South’s tagline is “We’re not just Mac friendly– we’re Mac only!”. They mean it. Each and every one of their products is designed to work with a specific product or family of products from Cupertino. That, in turn, means that each and every time Apple releases a new product line, you can expect to see new products added to Twelve South’s ever-growing portfolio. Case in point — the iPad mini. The release of the iPad mini meant the company began offering scaled-down versions of their iPad products. That’s why they released the BookBook for iPad mini, and it is why…


Wii U TVii Service for March Madness Basketball!

March Madness on the Wii U TVii Service is a brand new experience based from the Sports section. The recently released TVii service, exclusive to the Nintendo Wii U, allows access via the GamePad to a television and other entertainment content, was not originally available at Nintendo Wii U ‘s November launch, but it’s here just in time for March Madness. This free TVii service comes pre-loaded into the Wii U does not require any extra equipment and functions like a web browser. User can browse and perform familiar actions on the GamePad touch screen while watching other programs on…


MightyMega Launches to Share All the Best in Sci Fi and Geekery

I am a self-professed sci-fi geek. Sarah is … not. She tries for my sake to be supportive of my favorite shows, but she just doesn’t understand it. And there have been many road trips where I’ve droned on and on about Battlestar Galactica or Star Trek, and Sarah has nearly driven off the road in frustration and boredom. So I need an outlet for all my geekery. Luckily for me, MightyMega has launched as a repository of all things awesome and sci-fi on the Internet! MightyMega is from the same folks that bring you The Awesomer and Technabob, so…


Miles Davis Quintet Live In Europe 1969 The Bootleg Series Vol. 2 Review

I have already complained about Sony for releasing so much posthumous Miles Davis material, but it is really a joke: because what they have been giving us isn’t gratuitous, but rather restored and wonderfully packaged discoveries or items previously only found on low-quality bootlegs. That was true of the 1967 Bootleg Volume 1, which made my ‘best of 2011’ list. And it is every bit as true of their latest release, Miles Davis Quintet Live In Europe 1969 The Bootleg Series Vol. 2. Let’s take a look! Musical Genre: Jazz Where to buy: Amazon MP3 Store Artist: Miles Davis Quintet…


Google Keep Review – Neat Freaks Need Not Apply

Yesterday Google launched a new service called Google Keep.  After playing around with it a bit last night, I have a much better idea of what it can and can’t do, and what it really is.   Will it be good enough to replace Evernote?  Is it even close?  In a word, no. Google Keep Phone Interface The phone interface is reminiscent of the Google Now interface; each note appears as a card.  There’s a Multi-column view and a single column view.  Across the top is the bar you interact with to add notes.  tap the note to create a note, the…


Another Way iPhone Beats Android – Battery Life in the Dungeon!

We all know that it is an Apple & Samsung world – and pretty much everywhere I go I carry both my Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3. They are both excellent phones, and I highly recommend both of them to anyone looking for a phone – each has strengths and weaknesses, just like any other device. Don’t believe the hype whenever someone tells you one is ‘far superior’ to the other: it simply meets their personal needs better. Recently my work has required me to be at a remote manufacturing facility where there is no cell phone signal…


Google Keep Launches – Google’s Evernote and OneNote Answer

I was just starting to listen to This Week in Google live after work, when right before the show they shouted Google just launched Google Keep!  I’ve already got it installed on my phones and my tablet.  What IS Google Keep?  It’s very similar to services  like Evernote or OneNote.  It’s designed to take notes, make checklists, and more.  It hangs off of your Google Drive, and it uses the new real-time API that Google also announced this week. Google Keep doesn’t appear to support tagging like Evernote does, and while you can import pictures into your Google Keep, it does not appear to look at…


The Aftermarket Smart Home – a Gear Diary Journey

While we were attending CES 2013, friends in the congregation emailed me and said, “Dan, as you know we are building a new home. We know you are at CES and would appreciate it if you would keep an eye out for any home automation that looks cool. We really want to build some “smarts” into the house.” I did keep my eyes out for new smart home technology, and when I met with them last week I had something to share with them. My recommendation was that they not wire anything into their smart home, and that they should only…


Hyundai Takes Social Bloggers to Coronado for the New Santa Fe!

As I had written previously, the folks at Hyundai took a group of ‘social bloggers’ to Park City, UT last August to introduce the new 2013 Santa Fe Sport. My review was highly favorable, but what was missing for me was the full-sized Santa Fe 6/7 passenger model – Hyundai teased that model, but we weren’t allowed to take pictures, get in or even touch the pre-production model they brought. However, they told us that once it was ready to launch we would be able to get a hands-on look. This weekend the made good on that promise, as Hyundai…


HEX Cabana Sonic Backpack Review – Lets You Carry Your Gear in Style

A few weeks ago we looked at the HEX Cabana Messenger Bag. (Read the review.) It offered an unusual pocket for accessing your iPad on the go, and it mixed purposeful gear transportation with casual style. It was a nice bag that, while not my style, I could see many others enjoy using. (Keep an eye out for our upcoming “bag-a-day giveaway”; the HEX Cabana Messenger Bag will be one of the bags we offer up!) This time out, we are looking at another member of the HEX Cabana Collection. The HEX Cabana Sonic Backpack is a light, casual backpack…


Twelve South PlugBug World Review

It’s become a yearly occasion that in late February I’ll attend Mobile World Congress, and as a result I now have a yearly ritual of assessing my charger and adapter stockpile about a month before leaving. This year I traveled with a new tool in my arsenal, the Twelve South PlugBug World. What sets this charger/adapter apart from all of the others I own is that it plugs into the stock MacBook Pro power block, and it includes a built-in high-power USB charger that is perfect for quickly topping off my iPad mini. The fact that it can be configured…


Elon Musk Keynote Address at SXSW Interactive

As South by Southwest Interactive (henceforth: SXSWi) approached I found myself a bit overwhelmed by all the choices of talks, panels, hangouts, meetups, and God only knows what else.  As an Austin resident, I didn’t feel the need to over-indulge on Sixth Street’s entertainment venues — I can do it any time — so I tried to concentrate on talks and events that I though I would find interesting, and you all would find interesting.  I got a clunker or two, but in the main I did okay.  Even with the overwhelming choices available, there was one person who I was…


Is an eBook a Book, or Is It Something Else?

The fine folks at Forbes raised an interesting question this week: are eBooks really books? Their take is that eBooks are more like software, due to their digital nature. And yes, they are looking specifically at the education markets. But this touches on a larger debate, one that comes up quite often. Opponents of eBooks argue that they are not really books because the book experience is not the same. Now, I rarely get to dust off my philosophy degree, but this seems like the sort of debate that lends itself quite well to a simple analysis of the identity…


HiddenRadio LE Metallic Red Speaker Stands Out

It is small, it hides in plain view and it packs a punch. And now the HiddenRadio comes as a limited edition Metallic Red speaker. How limited is it? The company is producing just 500 of these units. Let’s talk about the HiddenRadio itself, and then return to this limited edition. The HiddenRadio is a compact wireless speaker that also includes a built-in FM radio. Good at home or on the go this all-in-one speaker is designed to enhance your listening enjoyment. The HiddenRadio is a Bluetooth speaker/amplifier with a built-in FM radio. Thanks to the Bluetooth connectivity it works…


eMusic Merges With eBook Distributor K-NFB to Form Media Content ‘One Stop Shop’

It was only a matter of time – most sites not named iTunes/Pandora/Amazon/Spotify have either closed or been bought out over the past few years … and frankly since it seemed that eMusic was unable to increase subscription volumes no matter what they did, I assumed they would eventually fold. Instead, today we learn that eMusic Merges With eBook Distributor K-NFB to form media content ‘One Stop Shop’. The basic idea is that you will be able to get your digital music, ebook and audio book needs met in one place. eMusic has been around since 1998 and had long…


Mage’s Initiation Brings a Classic Sierra-style Adventure Game to Kickstarter!

There are various reasons to back a Kickstarter project: you might directly want to experience the product, or perhaps like the idea and want it to happen, or maybe the project is in an area you feel is underserved, or maybe the project is funded and you see benefits to the ‘stretch goals’. Whatever the reason, it is important to keep up with new projects as they come along … because there is some great stuff happening and you don’t want something to go unfunded because you forgot to check in for a month! I had heard about this when…


Jabra Vox Earbuds Review

Last week we reviewed Jabra’s new Revo Wireless Headphones. (Read the review.) These on-the-ear headphones are comfortable, durable and sound terrific. Jabra is also releasing a corded version of the Revo headphones as well as the upcoming Jabra Vox in-ear corded earphones. For those who prefer headphones that sit in your ear rather than on or around them, the Jabra Vox earbuds may be a terrific option. Let’s take a closer look. The Jabra Vox earbuds come in a yellow and black box, which presents the Jabra Vox earbuds in a nice, albeit not terribly high-end, manner. Inside the box…