2013

2013 Mazda3 in the Grinding Gears Garage

Grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire Cat, the 2013 Mazda3 embodies that all familiar “zoom-zoom” marketing philosophy of Mazda’s while offering value, quality and a truly nice driving experience for the segment. And whether you love or hate the styling, Mazda says the bold design was intentionally polarizing and was achieved through its design philosophy of “Nagare,” or flow. Since going to the single digit moniker for its vehicle designations, Mazda proves it is capable of delivering automobiles worthy of the consumer dollar. On a grand scale, Mazda3, in both four-door sedan and five-door hatchback versions, delivers. I am…

Reviews

Zagg ZR-SIX Earbuds Review – Promising Awesome Sound for Under $60

If they’re not the best sounding earbuds you’ve experienced… we’ll give you your money back. That’s what Zagg says on the product page for theIR ZR-SIX earbuds. It is a bold claim to make under any conditions, but considering the ZR-SIX earbuds are under $60 it is actually a remarkable claim; I am left wondering if the claim can hold up in real-world use. Are Zagg’s new ZR-SIX earbuds “the best sounding earbuds I’ve experienced? Read on to find out. Inside the box you’ll find the ZR-SIX earbuds, two additional sets of ear cups, and a nice zippered protective case. I…

Reviews

PowerSkin PoP’n Battery Review – It Should Be in Your Gear Bag

We’ve said it over and over and over again — battery life is the Achilles Heel of today’s mobile devices. Speeds have improved, screen resolution and size have too; battery technology has, unfortunately, not kept pace. The result is that many of use have to either carry our wall adapter and charger cable or an external battery. And there are some people, me for example, who carry both. These days I’m carrying the PowerSkin PoP’n battery in my jacket and another battery in my gear bag. Here’s why the PowerSkin PoP’n battery is so useful. The PowerSkin PoP’n battery has an…

Game Diary, Reviews

Fate of the Pharaoh for Android Review

Over the past few years working with G5 games as they have grown into one of the more successful casual games publishers on smartphones, I have seen a fairly standard formula: they publish for iOS first, then Android and finally for the Mac (and occasionally PC). But with Fate of the Pharaoh we get a first – G5 is releasing an Android game before the iOS version! How does it play? Let’s take a look! Type of app: City-Building game Platform/where to buy: Available for Android systems (including Nook and Kindle Fire tablets); available from Amazon AppStore, Google Play, or…

News & Features

SpotLite 2.0 Helps You Keep Your Eye on Spot

My dog Porter is generally a good dog, but he has his moments of being a bit bratty. Mostly we joke he thinks he’s a person, and every once in a blue moon he catches his reflection, remembers he’s actually a dog, and misbehaves accordingly. We don’t have him microchipped, in part because he’s a rescue who was shot with BB’s as a puppy, and the idea of inserting more metal into him, even a microchip, breaks our hearts a little bit. But we do watch him like hawks when he’s not leashed outside, especially in the backyard, since you…

Reviews

DRY-ALL Wet Smartphone Emergency Kit to the Rescue

“I just dropped my iPhone in the sink” Elana said. I jumped into action, went to the cabinet, pulled out the DRY-ALL Wet Smartphone Emergency Kit, pulled the SIM from the phone and sealed it inside. I then put Elana’s SIM into one of the review phones I had lying around and, within a few minutes, she was up and going on an HTC Windows Phone 8 handset. “Give the DRY-ALL Wet Smartphone Emergency Kit 48 hours to work its magic. Judie reviewed this back in 2011 and it worked perfectly for her.” (Read the review.) It was a good…

News & Features

Roku Releases the Roku 3

After what seemed like an eternity Roku has released a brand new streaming box today. The Roku 3 finally does away with all connections for old standard definition TV’s in this iteration making the box HD only. It has HDMI, Ethernet, USB and a power port and that’s it. The new box has beefed up hardware and improved searching on the device itself. Roku promises that the user interface on the Roku 3 is the most responsive they have designed as well. One last bit of news for the new Roku 3 is that the wireless remote now includes a…

Game Diary, Reviews

Epic Adventures Cursed Onboard for Mac Review

I reviewed the original Epic Adventures: La Jangada here, which was based on the Jules Verne’s story ‘The Raft’ (direct translation of La Jangada). My opinion of the original was that it was an interesting story but hampered by glacial pacing and a dreary palette. Does the sequel Epic Adventures Cursed Onboard deliver where the original failed? Read on and find out! Type of app: Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) game Platform/where to buy: Mac; available in the Mac App Store Developer: Urchin Games / G5 Entertainment Description: Here are some of the features: 25 Eery locations 10 Unique mini-games…

Reviews

Mailbox App Review – Is Email Conquered for Good?

It has been a little over a week since I started using the Mailbox app as my main email organizer, and I have finally settled into a rhythm and have a handle on how it works. It’s incredibly easy to grasp once you get it set up, and I am still as smitten with it as I was last week in my first impressions post. But here are the real question: is it worth the long wait to gain access? And is all the hype that’s surrounded it since before its launch justified? Read on for my take! First, let’s…

Reviews

Trina Turk iPad Cover Review – Promises Pretty Protection

I recently reviewed the Trina Turk by M-Edge Macbook Case and iPhone 5 case; this Trina Turk iPad Cover rounds out the trio of accessories currently offered. The Trina Turk iPad case appears to be built on an M-Edge Revolve 360 Case chassis, which is smart because the Revolve 360 is a great case. As the name implies, the Revolve 360° allows you to rotate your iPad 360° when it is in the case, thanks to the unique plastic holster design that securely holds the iPad while protecting its corners. The iPad clicks into the four corner brackets, and once properly installed…

Reviews, Yum Log

Starbucks Blond Roast Veranda Blend Is Yummy

I love coffee. When I used to eat ice-cream, coffee was my favorite flavor; by that I mean the coffee ice-cream that really tasted like coffee, not that subtle flavored stuff some brands offer. And when I used to eat cake I loved anything with mocha. And each morning I still brew a pot of coffee in my Cuisinart coffeepot and polish it off before starting my day. In addition to liking coffee, I also happen to like convenience; that’s where my Keurig coffee maker comes in. Lately, I’ve been enjoying Starbucks Blond Roast Veranda Blend in it. It has…

Game Diary, Reviews

Spirit Walkers Curse of the Cypress Witch for Mac Review

Type of app: Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) game Platform/where to buy: iPad; available in the Mac App Store Developer: Orchid Games / G5 Entertainment Despite weekly releases of hidden object, strategy and adventure games G5 continues to put out amazing quality games as well as a great quantity.When I reviewed Spirit Walkers Curse of the Cypress Witch for the iPad, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Now they have ported it to the Mac, and it looks to be a great translation of this significant and interesting plot wrapped around a hidden object adventure. Let’s take a look! Description: Here are…

Reviews

Globalgig Now Offers Inexpensive International Data in More Countries

When it comes to connectivity I’m spoiled. I spend the vast majority of my time either at home or the office and both are locations have high-speed Internet. And when I am out I usually have decent connectivity and relatively good speed. That means I’m able to get the information I want pretty much where and when I want it. This holds true during my annual week in Aruba, where my first stop each year is at a kiosk when I load my hotspot with 5 GB of data; that means I even have connectivity on the beach. The past…

Reviews

Toast Natural Wood Cover and Wraps for iPhone 5 Review

Carly reviewed the Toast Cover for the iPhone 4S (read the review), and I followed up with a review of the Toast protective back for the iPad mini (read the review); I even showed it on camera (check out the video)! This time out we are looking at the Toast Natural Wood Cover and Wraps for the iPhone 5. Like the other Toast products we have reviewed, the Toast Natural Wood Cover and Wraps are made from real wood; they have a terrific look and feel that adds both class and protection to Apple’s current iPhone. As you can see, the…

Reviews

Hitcase for iPhone 4S Review

I am a big fan of cases that let you take your iPhone into extreme situations, because the iPhone has an excellent camera and tons of great apps for the outdoors, but it is a bit delicate. You don’t want to send your iPhone flying while riding your bike, or while on a trail run. But the quasi-permanent cases can be bulky when you aren’t out tramping around nature, and that’s where cases like the Hitcase fit the bill. When you’re heading out for a rough and tumble day, your iPhone is safely tucked inside, protected from water and dirt….

News & Features, Outdoors

TrackingPoint Releases Precision Guided Firearm iOS Simulator App

We first broke news of TrackingPoint and their Precision Guided Firearm system during this year’s CES. The system is a custom-built rifle and scope combination that makes long-range shooting much more accurate. Using the XactSystem, shooters tag, track and hit their target with pinpoint accuracy. TrackingPoint has just released Precision Hunter Lite which allows iOS users to experience their revolutionary technology. The free application is basically a first person shooter that replicates the Precision Guided Firearm experience. Using the head’s up display, users practice utilizing the XactSystem to successfully make ethical shots at extreme distances. Users choose their quarry then…

News & Features

Early Thoughts on Ubuntu Touch

At lunch today I was able to load up a version of Ubuntu’s touch based OS on my Asus EeePad Transformer, because I had come across a post on the infamous XDA forums from a hacker who has actually gotten this to work. Well … it works in that it boots! 🙂 So I decided to try it, just to get an idea of how good or bad it might be. I am actually a little surprised at how much of Ubuntu Touch works, but I’m even more surprised by how much of it doesn’t. Keep in mind that it’s a developer…

Game Diary

Tomb Raider Interview with Darrell Gallagher and Noah Hughes

I recently discussed the new Tomb Raider video game (releasing today, March 5) with Darrell Gallagher (Crystal Dynamics Studio Head) and Noah Hughes (Crystal Dynamics Creative Director). Crystal Dynamics developed this recently released reboot featuring the female adventurer hero Lara Croft, as well as the previous four Tomb Raider games. Publisher Square Enix purchased Eidos and took over this popular 16-year-old game franchise recognized as the “Most Successful Human Virtual Game Heroine” by the Guinness Book of World Records. The character development and gameplay elements expand in this installment along with a new multiplayer mode. Tomb Raider is also the…

Editorials

Unlocking Cell Phones and the White House Petition

It used to be that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) had an exception which allowed unlocking cellphones (i.e., unlocking the phone from carrier exclusivity through the use of an unlock code — purchased from a third-party or obtained directly from the carrier). However, in October of 2012, the Librarian of Congress decided that this exception was no longer valid, and so unlocking cellphones would now be illegal and subject to prosecution, fines, and all the other fun stuff that illegality brings. Not too long thereafter, Sina Khanifar decided that this was unfair, unreasonable, and shouldn’t be the case, so Sinfa…

News & Features

Ham Radio to be Featured in Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing on ABC

I’ve watched Last Man Standing all season this year and am really enjoying the series in its second year. One of the reasons I was attracted to it was that the character Tim Allen plays, Mike Baxter, is an Amateur Radio Operator. He has been given the tongue in cheek call sign KA0XTT. The “XTT” stands for Ex Tim Taylor. Icom America has provided radios for his shack at his workplace, a fictional store called Outdoor Man which is styled very much like outdoor stores like Cabela’s. So far, the radios have only been props at Outdoor Man but that is about to change. In…

Vehicles & Gear

2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible and LaFerrari Dream Cars Unveiled at Geneva Motor Show

Two world debuts thrilling the automotive world this week at the 83rd International Motor Show in Geneva are the 2014 Corvette Stingray Convertible and the Ferrari Enzo successor dubbed LaFerrari. Chevrolet said it chose the Geneva show to introduce the new Corvette convertible as it will offer the sports car in global markets beginning in late 2013, all of them in left-hand-drive fashion. As with the coupe that was debuted in Detroit earlier this year, the convertible features the all-new aluminum frame structure that is some 57 percent stiffer (and 99 lbs. lighter) than the steel grid it replaces. All…

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