This is the time of year when I do more writing than any other. In addition to my normal sermons and Gear Diary reviews, this is the time of year when I have to write my high holy day sermons. That’s where something like the amazing Ergotron WorkFit-T, Sit-Stand Desktop Workstation comes in more than a bit handy.
Have you heard of the Stonewall Riots? Here’s a quick refresher: on June 28th, 1969, the police raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The patrons fought back, and this sparked the modern gay rights movement. Now there’s a movie coming, but along with the trailer came a well-justified backlash from within the LGBT community.
A goal of nothing – zip, zilch…zero. Quite ambitious, don’t you think? That is mantra over at GoalZero – getting the world off the grid and relying on absolutely no fossil fuels or infrastructure for electrical sustainability. Recently I got to test a small part of their mission in the form of the Venture 30 Recharger complete with Nomad 7 solar panel.
One thing kept me up until the early hours of the morning: attempting to figure out exactly what was the issue is between my Apple Watch and my iPhone’s Activity app. I didn’t get answers, and Apple needs to give one.
One of my favorite recent games is Divinity: Original Sin from Larian Studios, who developed my ‘Top 5 all-time’ RPG Divine Divinity. The game released on Mac & PC about a year ago to much acclaim, and is getting an enhanced edition and console release this fall. Now Larian has announced that they are working on Divinity: Original Sin 2!
As an avid owner and user of firearms and father of two young sons, safety is always on my mind. Whether it is protecting my family from intruders or keeping weapons out of the hands of my children, the safety of my firearms is important. The ProtectorXT ($359) is a biometric, quick open gun rack with both issues in mind.
The folks at Moshi recently provided Gear Diary their iVisor for MacBook, a clear (matte) anti-glare screen protector for the new 12” MacBook. Moshi gives a 100% guarantee that the screen protector will install bubble free and I have to say that it installed flawlessly for me. Once it was on, I hardly noticed it was there, except for the fact that the screen now had a matte look rather than the normal glossy look. The fit was clean and simple and can easily be removed and re-applied as needed. Moshi recommends you retain the backing sheet in case…
HTC is not doing well. Their stock is trading badly right now, and their reputation as a top-tier smartphone company is under a great deal of pressure. The HTC One M9 landed with a whimper rather than a bang, and they had to delay their Grip fitness band. So does HTC have a future?
LiveScribe has long been loved by Dan and Michael. I finally took the leap last year buying the LiveScribe Sky, as I needed a way to take notes during conference calls. I recently upgraded to the LiveScribe 3, as it now supports Android. While the support and basic functionality are there, I am a bit underwhelmed with the app.
The Munitio Pro40 is an ultra high-performance set of headphones that sports fantastic audio performance with deep bass. These rugged over-ear headphones are built to last and even come with a 2-year replacement warranty. At an MSRP of $349.00, they’re not cheap, but they perform better than any other set of headphones I’ve ever tried.
I’ve made little secret of the fact that I am a huge fan of all things Waterfield. Truth is, I use one Waterfield bag or another pretty much every day. That’s why I was excited to check out their latest offering, the Waterfield Design Vitesse Waxed Canvas Messenger Bag. It didn’t disappoint. The $159 bag is yet another Waterfield winner. The Waterfield Design Vitesse Waxed Canvas Messenger Bag is available in brown, navy, burgundy waxed canvas. It is definitely one of the less structured bags I’ve used from Waterfield. That’s not a criticism however. The lack of structure means it…
The folks at Moshi recently provided Gear Diary with a number of products for the new MacBook. Among them was a protective sleeve called the Moshi Muse 12.
The other day we reviewed the Wally Bifold slim wallet from Distil Union. Today we are taking a look at the smaller, thinner, even more minimalistic sibling, the Distil Union Wally Sleeve. This super-thin leather wallet sleeve retails for $29.99. It is for the person who wants to take their minimalist wallet to an entirely new, and thinner level.
This week’s automotive review is another update of sorts as I had already driven this vehicle within the past year. I am talking about the all-new 2015 Ford F-150 pickup that shook up the consumer truck world by making these vehicles largely from aluminum. The recent week in a King Ranch SuperCrew solidified our impressions from the launch last fall.
The Jabra Sport Coach Bluetooth Headset are great for athletes but you don’t have to be one to appreciate all these sub-$150 wireless headphones have to offer. I can’t run without music and these Bluetooth headphones are, by far, the best way yet to cut the cord and go for a run. They are comfortable, stay put and sound great. The Jabra Sport Coach Bluetooth Headset are, “wireless sports earbuds with intelligent audio coaching optimized for cross training and indoor workouts. With integrated cross training app.” In this review I’m going to focus most on the headset simply as a…
We hope you all enjoyed reading The Man in the High Castle as much as we did. Here are a few takes on our thoughts, and please add yours to the discussion below!
If you like using on-ear headphones you owe it to yourself to check out the $119 Marshall Major II On-Ear Headphones. Not only are the well-built and comfortable but they offer amazingly good sound with plenty of bass. The fold up into a small package and, unlike other on-ear headphones, don’t put too much clamping pressure on your head. Marshall describes the second generation Marshall Major headphones this way: An impressive second act, the classic Major kicks up its performance a few notches. Updated sound, looks and durability, as well as improved ergonomics, give way to a whole new level…
Once, I debated the future of Microsoft with my father. He pointed out they had a lot of great ideas, but they were so big any changes were like turning around a battleship in a bathtub. I can’t help but think that was on Google’s mind when they announced their new restructuring, though nothing explains why they renamed themselves “Alphabet”.
Canonical has been working on the Ubuntu Phone for quite sometime. It was launched in Europe and the launch was seen as successful, so BQ has now made Ubuntu Phone available worldwide. If you live in the US you still won’t want it as you will be constrained by carrier choice and it will only offer Edge speeds.
While traveling, once thing that I’ve always hated is sitting in an airport, or on a long train ride somewhere and not having an outlet to plug up my MacBook Air. So I started looking for an external battery pack that was in my budget that wasn’t too gaudy, but would charge up my MacBook in the event I cannot charge my laptop when I get that red 5% alert. There aren’t many of said products on the market, but I did stumble upon the BatteryBox from GBatteries Energy. The BatteryBox certainly isn’t cheap. At $220, it’s cheaper than Lenmar’s…
Griffin is one of our favorite accessories companies here at Gear Diary so when I received Griffin’s Identity cases for the iPhone 6 Plus, I pretty much already knew to expect a quality product, but got much more. I had the opportunity to get three different models of the Griffin’s Identity series: Tennis ball Green, Blue with a clear back, and a black wallet case. Now usually I’m not a fan of wallet cases because I think they are a bit corny, and I feel strange having my credit cards exposed when I have my phone out to text,…