As I was reading Dell’s CES 2015 announcements, I to remember a ‘Dell-free’ time in my life … and had to go back more than 20 years, during which time I’ve had an OptiPlex, Dimension, Inspiron, XPS or Alienware system close at hand. With the recent buy-back Dell has seen resurgence in both innovation and performance, highlighted by their new offerings.
I’ve made no bones about the fact that if it weren’t for Wilson Electronics, which has recently rebranded as weBoost, I would have an absolutely pitiful signal inside my home if it weren’t for their products, and they have only become better. I had a chance to talk to weBoost about their new 4G signal boosters for home and car.
Dan and I have tried so many headphones that it is easy for us to seem skeptical when something new comes along. That attitude flew out the window when we had some ears-on time with the new Blue Mo-Fi Headphones. Throw what you think you know about traditional over-the-ear headphones out the window, and take a look at these beauties.
The Baldur’s Gate franchise of epic fantasy role playing games are amongst the most beloved and critically acclaimed of all time. They have recently been re-released as ‘enhanced editions’, and now Beamdog has teased us with pictures of screens and tidbits of information about their ‘Adventure Y’, which is “bridging the gap between Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate II.”
Over the last couple of decades we have seen the shift from desktop PC to laptop dominance, then netbooks, tablets, Chromebooks and now a resurgence of laptops and efficient desktops. HP has introduced the HP Pavilion and HP Stream Mini Desktops just as the desktop computer attached to a TV or large display becomes a focal point of homes again.
Beginning January 25th, 2015 AT&T follows T-Mobile and allows you to rollover data. There’s only two small gotchas. Rollover Data is used only after the full data allowance for your Mobile Share Value plan in the current bill cycle is used. And only one month carries over before expiring and the next month’s unused portion rolls over. If you go over your data allotment and purchase additional data – that purchased data won’t roll over.
I wrote about the MOTA Smart Ring (what feels like) ages ago, and I finally got the chance to see one in action and slip it on my finger yesterday. It’s reasonably priced at a pre-order price of $99. What that gets you is notifications from all of your usual apps — messages, email, Facebook, etc.
I love the comic The Oatmeal, and highlighted a speech given by Oatmeal cartoonist Matthew Inman at BAHfest on my personal blog. I was contacted about a new dark humor book called Russian Optimism, which they describe as having innocent titles and horrible endings. The book is an illustrated coffee table book with illustrations and translations.
While there is no denying how huge Toto IV was for my generation when it came out in 1982, having my kids ask me to add it back to our iTunes library after a recent mass purge confirmed just how huge and relevant it remains for the current generation. The group is preparing their first new album in a decade!
I am starting to worry my phone is becoming sentient. See, on a typical day, the battery holds up just fine all day. But if it’s a busy day, that’s when my phone drains the battery like a hungry vampire. Luckily, Bracketron is working on their Snap2.0 chargers, an affordable way to snag fast charging with compatible phones!
Wadjet Eye has released some great games recently, creating the Blackwell mystery games and publishing Gemini Rue. So I was intrigued when I heard that they were working on a new game with indie developer Technocrat, which they announced today. The game is Technobabylon, a dystopian cyberpunk adventure coming to PC in spring 2015 and to Mac/Linux after.
MIO Global made a big splash as the first to provide a highly accurate heart-rate monitoring without a chest strap. Now they are back with the MIO Alpha 2, which refines and improves on the original in every way. They also announced the MIO Fuse, which combines their heart rate monitoring technology with an all-day fitness tracker!
First-ever compact luxury coupe. That is how Cadillac describes its new two-door version of the ATS while also touting it’s being lighter and more agile and even more engaging than its competitors. OK, they say it’s designed to be all those things but is the 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe capable of taking on the Bavarian competition?
Dan and I had a “moment” on the CES floor yesterday when we realized that we had left the camera mount in the cab on our ride over to the LVCC. Obviously, if you are going to need a specialized piece of equipment, there is no better place to find a replacement than CES 2015, and that’s how we discovered iBolt.
So it has been nearly 17 years since my last baby was born, but I remember just nearly 19 years ago before our first son was born going through many discussions with family and friends about what we ‘must have‘. Now that discussion has moved online, and there is a recent survey with results from BuzzFeed!
I admit, as much as I love my 7 year old Prius, I get a little jealous hearing about the amazing ways smartphones are being integrated with newer cars. Satechi clearly feels my pain, and they’ve come up with a much more cost effective solution than a brand new car in their newly announced BT Button Series.
CES isn’t just about the latest fun gadgets. It’s also a showcase for all sorts of breakthroughs, including incredible medical ones. Dan and Judie caught up with the CEO of ReWalk, a company that is working on exoskeletons to help people with lower limb disabilities walk again! Check out their video interview!
The history of gaming is littered with long-forgotten classics, great games rendered unplayable due to compatibility issues, or the lack of a 5.25″ floppy drive! Add the complexity of getting DOSBox configured and optimized, and the bar is simply too high. But now the Internet Archive has set up a portal to play 2400 games on your web browser!
Watching my son deal with audio recording issues as he completed his portfolio film project for film school applications (in at NYU, yay!), I got a new appreciation of the value of a quality microphone for even the most seemingly simple applications. The iPhone is great for capturing video, but the addition of the iRig Mic Field makes it better!
The way we choose to illuminate our spaces has changed dramatically in our lifetime. As a young adult my life seemed divided between the harsh fluorescent office lights and warm incandescent lights of home. The last couple of decades have seen rapid changes in the type, efficiency and flexibility of lighting, getting ‘smart’ lighting solutions such as Bolt light bulb from Misfit.
Puzzle games are like art or jokes in some ways – you either get it or you don’t, if you do it is addictive and if you don’t there is no sense trying to explain. Indie developer Moon Kid is preparing to launch Satellina, a simple color matching game that is anything but simple because it is a ‘puzzle in motion’.