January 2014 | Gear Diary

IUI Design is Launching the Bass Jumper Water Resistant Speaker at CES 2014

While CES is taking place in the warmth of Las Vegas, much of the nation is gripped by record-breaking cold, snow, and wind. IUI Design is launching the Bass Jumper water resistant speaker at CES to let you rock on despite the elements! It is ready for anything with IPX5 water resistance, carabineer for portability, and a 10 hour battery! Here is what they say: “With an emphasis on portability, the Bass Jumper is packaged with a carabiner clip so users can bring along and share their music on any adventure,” commented Al Fortino, Director of Business Development, iUi Design….

Events, Gear Bits

Rayovac Heard the Need for Hearing Aid Batteries and Responded

The Starkey Hearing Foundation does amazing work and gets hearing aids to people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford them. Rayovac donates millions of batteries to keep them running. When we asked how they got involved the Rayovac rep simply replied,” I was a natural fit.” We were impressed.

Events, Gear Bits, Health and Fitness, News & Features

Scosche introduced new heart-rate monitor technology at CES 2014

Every morning before I head out for my run I have a routine, wetting my chest and the back of my heart-rate monitor and making sure it registers in the Wahoo fitness app before starting my run. Reliability and comfort are issues with monitors, but now Scosche introduced new heart-rate monitor technology at CES 2014 that addresses those issues!

Events, News & Features

Tabtor Math Personal Math Tutoring for iPad is at CES

We were at Barnes & Noble and saw one of our son’s friends who missed a bunch of school due to illness being tutored. It made us think about how stressful it is when you’re behind – even one you love! Tabtor Math Personal Math Tutoring for iPad is at CES talking about how math can be fun and easy to learn!

Reviews

Iron X Action Camera Review

The Iron X Action Cam (A.K.A. DXG 5G9V) is a small, lightweight action camera that’s got a lot going for it. It records video in 1080p at 30 fps and takes 5 megapixel photos. It also has an OLED screen on top and comes with a remote control wrist strap and waterproof case. The Iron X retails for $249.99.

Events, Gear Bits

Sennheiser Maintains Their Momentum With New MOMENTUM Headphones in Ivory

The Sennheiser MOMENTUM Headphones are great looking and great sounding headphones. Here at #CES2014 the company just announced a new Ivory version. Featuring ivory-coloured ear cups, richly offset with a tan leather headband and the iconic stainless steel headband slider the headphone add a lighter shade to the MOMENTUM range.

Events, Gear Bits

Toshiba Announces Exciting TV and PC Products at CES 2014

Toshiba is not the highest profile maker of consumer technology, but they consistently come up with great new products that meet a wide variety of needs. At CES 2014 Toshiba announces exciting TV and PC products including a HD Chromebook, 4K laptops, Haswell updates for Kirabook, new 4K HD TV platforms, streaming and universal disc player bases, and more!

Events

JBL Authentic Speaker Line Is the Real Deal in Sound

JBL’s new JBL Authentic L8 and JBL Authentic L16 wireless speakers bring classic speaker design together with superior wireless technology to create an authentic and impressive sound experience. Each features premium materials, optimized low-frequency and high-frequency JBL transducers and meticulous acoustic design. With AirPlay, DLNA and Bluetooth connectivity they cut the cord but not the audio quality.

Events, News & Features

Sony Debuts New Handycams, Cameras, and Action Cameras at CES

Sony isn’t about to show up empty-handed to CES! They’re showing off some seriously exciting new technology, from a 4k Handycam to action cameras and new Cyber-shot point and shoots. Whatever your digital photography and video needs, Sony is looking to cover them with new devices at CES!

Events, Health and Fitness, News & Features

Magellan Unveils New Sports and Colors for the Echo Smart Sports Watch at CES 2014

Magellan recently launched the Echo Bluetooth fitness watch, which pairs to your smartphone and provides interactive display and controls. I am finishing my review, but (spoiler alert) I totally love it and use it every day. At CES they are launching new capabilities for Echo, and also introducing new colors that will make it more appealing as an everyday watch.

Vehicles & Gear

2014 Volvo S60 is Solid Midsize Sedan Upgraded

It has been no secret that in recent years, Volvo has become a favorite brand of mine and the S60 sedan has been a car I have really enjoyed driving. To be fair, Volvo has usually delivered something in an R-Design package but recently I was able to test the entry midsize offering and was not disappointed.

Events, News & Features

Ogio Expands Bag Offerings at CES

Everyone needs a gear bag of some size, shape or form. Whether traveling or at work, the multitude of mobile and computing devices require a way to drag them around. Ogio has proven to be a leader in quality and design and have continued to expand their offerings at CES. Four new collections of bags should suit most anyone’s style.

Events, Gear Bits, News & Features

Magellan Announces New RoadMate Auto & RV Product Lines at CES 2014

Last year Magellan introduced the SMART-GPS system, which integrated smartphone and web apps to provide traditional in-car GPS and the now familiar mobile GPS experience. My personal experience was mixed, but the attempt was well thought out and a bold step. Now they are back as Magellan Announces New RoadMate Auto & RV Product Lines at CES 2014!

Events, News & Features

Netgear at CES 2014 Announces a Cable Modems, Wifi Extenders, Wifi Cameras and a Dongle Oh My!

Netgear announced a series of new cable modems both with an integrated wireless router. They also released two new wifi range extenders that support the faster 802.11ac standard as well. Wait, there’s more! There’s also 2 new wifi cameras as well as a new HDMI dongle for your TV complete with Android 4.2 onboard for streaming goodness.

Events, News & Features

Samsung’s Tablet Game Grows with the Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO

Samsung has been pretty smart about their tablet releases so far, correctly predicting the demand for everything from 7-8in tablets to phablets. Now they’re going super-sized with the GalaxyNotePRO and TabPRO, two new Android tablets that will clock in with shockingly large 12.2in screens!

Events, News & Features

Pebble Steel Announced At CES

When I first started wearing a Pebble watch it seemed more like geek fun rather than actual function. As the software has matured, my Pebble has become a must wear daily device. Today at CES, the makers of Pebble have announced Pebble Steel. Available in matte black and brushed stainless for $249, the Pebble has become much more attractive and wearable.

Events, News & Features

Sony announces Xperia Z1 Compact: Small without compromise

Sony has answered the call for a small, high-end Android device with the Xperia Z1 Compact. Eschewing the “Mini” moniker, this new smartphone includes the speedy specifications and waterproofing of the full-size Z1.

Events, Game Diary, Gear Bits

NVIDIA Tegra K1 Demo Using the Unreal Engine 4 at CES 2014!

At CES nVidia introduced the Tegra K1, bringing high performance Kepler architecture used in PC graphics cards to mobile SOCs (system on a chip). The K1 offers up to 192 cores, with potential to offer desktop graphics on mobile devices. nVidia introduced the technology without release date and showed a NVIDIA Tegra K1 Demo Using the Unreal Engine 4.

Events, News & Features

iSmartAlarm Extends Home Security System Product Line

New technologies have made monitoring and automating our homes exciting. iSmartAlarm creates products that put a modern spin on traditional security systems and have announced two new products at CES. Both products do not require professional installation and are portable. Homeowners and renters alike can connect, monitor and manage their own home security with the iSmartAlarm Doorfront and Smart Switch.

Events, Gear Bits

Michael Bay Leaves Samsung Press Conference Stage Due to Teleprompter Failure

When you do things live, stuff happens. That is just how it goes – technical problems, mixups and misunderstandings, and so on. They happen. As they say, it isn’t the problem but how you deal with it that says more about you. Well, at the Samsung Press Conference there was a teleprompter problem … and Michael Bay just walked off the stage. As Dan said when he grabbed the video: Michael Bay stepped on stage at the Samsung Press Conference at CES2014 to talk about UHD televisions. His TelePrompt went out of sync… And so did he. Check it out:…

Events, Gear Bits, Health and Fitness

Spree ‘Revolutionary’ Fitness Monitor Launched At CES 2014!

Everyone is speculating that the ‘hot new thing’ at CES this year will be ‘wearable technology’. Wearables include the Pebble watch, Google Glass, Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, Magellan Echo, and fitness monitors such as Fitbit Force, etc. New to the category is Spree ‘Revolutionary’ Fitness Monitor from Hothead Technologies, bringing heart rate and temperature to help you better understand your health!