July 2015




Nod Makes Messaging Your Friends More Personal Again

One thing that is certain in the App Store, is that there’s no shortage of messaging apps available. But with all of the current ones available, there’s a lack of ways to truly express your emotions, even though the standard emojis.   Well that’s where NOD comes into play. Nod is one of the best new apps in the App Store and the entire premise of it is to bring interactivity and the feeling of face-to-face communication to messaging. With texting being so interpersonal, Nod allows you to chat with emotions. You can express yourself by creating your own personal…


Your Smart Home Could Be a Bit Smarter with SwannOne

Seems like 2015 is the year of the smart home, with more and more products coming out weekly that will make sure your home is more in touch with you, even when you’re not there. So that’s where Swann, a global leader in security monitoring announced their secure yet smart home solution that not only makes your home more automated, but allows you control it from every aspect, from temperature to security features. Introducing the SwannOne, which is Swann’s system that gives you peace of mine for little things like breaking glass, car alarms, to things like baby cries and…


2015 Ford Focus ST Offers a Dynamic Driving Experience

While U.S. consumers eagerly await the arrival of Ford’s global rally car, the Focus RS, we enjoy zipping around town (or the track) in the sport tuned Focus ST that received some upgrades for the 2015 model year. We spent time recently checking out the updated driving dynamics (steering and suspension) along with styling changes inside and out.




ZipBuds Announces the SLIDE, a ZipperLess Set of Affordable Headphones

I’ve always found ZipBuds to be pretty interesting. The inventive zipper format to their headphones has always been pretty unique and something I could see myself using while traveling. So it’s pretty odd that I, as a “bluetooth” headphone user, would get as excited as I am about ZipBuds announcement of… zipperless in-ear headphones, by the name of SLIDE.



HTC Re Review: Small Camera, Big Punch

I have been looking for a portable camera that is small, affordable, and provides excellent video and photo quality. The market is flooded, but I was recently given the opportunity to review the HTC Re which currently retails for $117 on Amazon. While this camera looks odd, can it fit the bill? Read on for the review and sample images. 




Get Excited for the Return of the Muppets!

Who doesn’t love The Muppets? There’s something timeless and endearing about the whole gang, from Kermit and Miss Piggy to Gonzo and Fozzie Bear. ABC is launching an adult-aimed sitcom starring The Muppets this fall; it looks like a send-up of “The Office”, with maybe a shade of 30 Rock for good measure, and it looks AMAZING.


ZAGG Folio Is a Great Travel Companion for the iPad Air!

I don’t travel near as much as I used to, but when I do I no longer drag a laptop with me, opting instead for my iPad Air. Of course, to do any productive writing I will need a separate keyboard; recently I took the ZAGG Folio case with built-in Bluetooth keyboard and it fit the bill perfectly.



808 Audio XS Wireless Stereo Speaker: A Small Yet Powerful Boombox

Just about everyone has a portable Bluetooth speaker anymore, right? So it takes something special to set one apart from the others, and that’s what 808 Audio is trying to offer with their XS Wireless Stereo Speaker. Available in black, blue (with a black grill), or white (with a gold grill), the ~$60 speaker packs a lot of sound in a super portable package.


Jet.com is No Amazon…Yet

Jet.com wants very badly to beat Amazon. That’s been the bulk of their marketing push heading up to today’s launch, and when you shop around on the site, they consistently try to show you Amazon’s price versus theirs. After cross-shopping for a few minutes though, I was deeply unimpressed — both on price and ease of use.


Moshi iGlaze for the 2015 MacBook Review

Recently, the folks at Moshi were kind enough to provide Gear Diary with a few of their products to evaluate for the new MacBook 12” (2015). I’m going to look at the first of these — the iGlaze for MacBook, a clear shell to protect the outside of your MacBook.


Geddes Farms Ghost Pepper Honey Is Sweet Meets Heat

Every once in a while we get the chance to review something “old school,” something that doesn’t plug in or use the latest operating system on a smart device. This weekend I got my chance to sample a delightful treat that was scary at first but quite the surprise – Ghost Pepper Honey from Geddes Farms.


Grout Gator Review: A More Efficient Grout Cleaner?

I can’t say I love cleaning, but I do love the end result. It’s nice to have a space that doesn’t feel gross and dirty. We recently had the chance to review the “Grout Gator”, a tool designed to get tiled surfaces clean while being more efficient than traditional methods. But does it work, and is it worth the cost?