Articles by Joel McLaughlin

Samsung Jitterbug J Mobile Phone Review

Samsung Jitterbug J Mobile Phone Review

Sometimes you need a phone that just does the basics. Just calling and possibly texting. You also want the phone to be easy and, if possible, you would like the service plan to be very understandable and affordable. The Jitterbug J and Jitterbug’s service may be just what you are looking for. I was sent a 30 day loan of a Jitterbug J in red with the American Heart Association Go Red for Women’s heart health logo’s emblazoned on the box. Jitterbug has donated $500,000 dollars for Go Red for Women, which is definitely a worthy cause.

Aperion Home Audio Link Review

Aperion Home Audio Link Review

Sometimes you just want to place your speakers in a different spot than your audio source. The Aperion Home Audio Link just might be a option. Let’s see how it works.

My Child ID from Amberalert.com Review

My Child ID from Amberalert.com Review

Having a lost child is never good. The amber alerts that now go out can save precious time in the recovery of a child, be it a child who is just lost or a child who is abducted by strangers or people who know the child. Part of what makes this work is accurate information given to law enforcement agencies. One way for parents to make sure this information is with them is by carrying a My Child ID from AmberAlert.com.

Beware: Some Images Aren't Proof of Anything

Beware: Some Images Aren’t Proof of Anything

I was reading a story on Phandroid about the supposed HTC Supersonic which may be a future HTC made Android device, or may not. They had a image that was from the suspect device’s about screen e-mailed to them trying to catch them into posting about it. However, Phandroid was on the ball and they had someone create a image reporting a device as the HTC Phandroid running Android 3.1. It was created by editing a file in the /system directory on a rooted device, rebooting it and creating a regular screenshot. The point is, this screen isn’t valid as…

Jaybird Sportsband Review

Jaybird Sportsband Review

Jaybird has brought out some good stuff in the last year. The last two things I checked out were the Tigereyes and Endorphin Rush wired headphones. I liked them a lot. This time, Jaybird sent me their new Bluetooth headset, the Sportsband. Is it as good as their original headset? In a word, no.

MSI Demos 3 Concept PC's at CES

MSI Demos 3 Concept PC’s at CES

MSI demoed three interesting concept PC’s at CES this week.

Alex Dual Screen Android-Based eReader Gets More Real

Alex Dual Screen Android-Based eReader Gets More Real

Spring Design’s Alex Dual screen eReader is finally coming closer to a release. This is probably the first eReader with a fully functional web browser with the exception of Flash since Android doesn’t have it yet. Alex™ features a 6″ E-Ink EPD display and 3.5″ color LCD display, earphones and speakers. A removable SD card will free up library space on the device while letting users archive content for future reference. The enhanced Android OS is optimized to support integration between the color and monochrome displays while preserving battery life. Users can capture and cache web content from their online…

MyDeskFriend Pingo Review

MyDeskFriend Pingo Review

I have a confession to make. I like penguins. Part of this is I am a Linux user and Tux, the Linux mascot, is a penguin. The other part is they are so darn cute. That’s why I decided to take a look when Arimaz offered to send a sample of MyDeskFriend AKA Pingo. Part Tamagotchi, part Facebook app, part Tux Droid and all cute. That about sums up this tiny robot that fits in your hand. MyDeskFriend comes with a little USB docking station, Pingo the Penguin and a little rubber visor that Pingo wears.

Review: Trane XL800 Programmable Thermostat & a Giveaway

Review: Trane XL800 Programmable Thermostat & a Giveaway

When I had my house built in 1998, one thing I wanted but could not afford at the time was a programmable thermostat. Thankfully, Trane was kind enough to send one that I probably would not have considered, the Trane XL800. The first thing I had to do was install the thermostat. To do so, I had to turn off my HVAC system — which mean going into the depths of my garage and flipping the breakers. Then I went back inside, removed the existing thermostat and replaced it with the programmable thermostat. Make sure to pull the little plastic strip out…

Review: Tom Bihn Synapse

Review: Tom Bihn Synapse

Tom Bihn is a company I have been following for a while now, ever since Judie reviewed the Aeronaut when she was still at The Gadgeteer. Tom Bihn is not only based right here in the United States, they make their bags in the US, which is a rarity among bag manufacturers. When Tom Bihn let me know about their new Synapse backpack, I jumped at a chance to review it. The exterior of the Synapse I was sent is made with Indigo colored 1000 denier U.S. Cordura, and the backpack is lined with Solar Dyneema/nylon rip-stop fabric. The Syapse is…

Review: Blue Microphone's enCore 100 and 200

Review: Blue Microphone’s enCore 100 and 200

Blue has long made studio mikes and other devices like the Blue Eyeball web cam with a focus on quality construction and great audio. Now they are trying to enter the live performance arena with their brand new enCore series of Microphones. Blue was kind enough to send me samples of both the enCore 100 and the enCore 200 stage mikes. Are they going to be good enough to unseat the venerable Shure SM57 and SM58? Let’s find out.

Review: Blue Microphone's Mikey iPod Microphone

Review: Blue Microphone’s Mikey iPod Microphone

I have tried at least 2 different iPod recording solutions since the invention of the dock connector. The first one was the Belkin Tune Talk. I loved it and it allowed me to record a podcast away from my computer. Well it met an untimely demise in a toilet. Yeah it got flushed accidently. That’s all I will say about that. The next one was the Griffin iTalk Pro. Griffin no longer makes this, but I loved using it as well. However, a great new challenger has come to challenge Belkin for iPod/iPhone recording microphone superiority. It is from…

ThermaPAK HeatShift Laptop Cooler Review

ThermaPAK HeatShift Laptop Cooler Review

If you have a desktop replacement laptop, you will know that they definitely get very hot. So hot that they have even been known to induce burns when they come in contact with skin. So hot that even Apple recommends not to use your MacBook on your lap. Laptop coolers have been on the market for quite a while to help with this, however most of them want you to use a USB port for power and reducing your battery life. The new ThermaPAK HeatShift Laptop Cooler is designed to take the heat away from your laptop and keep it away…

HP MediaSmart Server EX495 Review

HP MediaSmart Server EX495 Review

Back in August, I reviewed the HP MediaSmart Server LX195. I, the resident Linux Geek here at Gear Diary, was pleasantly surprised by how useful the little server was. Even so, I still thought there was a little something missing from that great device. HP has addressed a lot of this with the HP MediaSmart Server EX495.

Coghlan's Magnesium Firestarter Review

Coghlan’s Magnesium Firestarter Review

I really liked the Flint Striker from Coghlan’s I reviewed in September. It works really well but sometimes you need a little more. The Magnesium Firestarter from Coghlan’s not only gets the spark you need, but also provides you some tinder that burns a little hotter than dryer lint.

Review: Bolt Bags Netbook Cases

Review: Bolt Bags Netbook Cases

Netbooks are tiny. Finding a stylish netbook case is difficult. You can generally find sleeves and some smaller bags but sleeves generally fit your netbook a bit tight to fit the power cord too. If you want a mouse or a few other accessories, you can forget taking just a sleeve. Bolt Bags aims to change this with their new netbook line.

Review: Yurbuds Custom Fit Earbud Enhancers

Review: Yurbuds Custom Fit Earbud Enhancers

The iconic iPod earbuds are either hated or loved depending on the person. Either you love them because they fit your ear well or you hate them because they hurt your ears. Yurbuds aims to change that with their new earbud enhancers.

Kensington K33926US Universal Notebook Docking Station with VGA/DVI and Ethernet Review

Kensington K33926US Universal Notebook Docking Station with VGA/DVI and Ethernet Review

A lot of people are going to a laptop only computing experience. There are even some that are going to a netbook only experience as a netbook is all they need. Sometimes, however, it is nice to have a screen that is bigger than what a netbook can provide. The same can be said about the touchpad and the keyboard. Wouldn’t it be nice to plop your laptop or netbook down and have it attached to a 24 inch LCD? That’s where this dock comes in.

Toshl Expense Tracker for Android Review

Toshl Expense Tracker for Android Review

Sometimes it’s the simple apps that really make a difference. That is what Toshl for Android does. Toshl is a simple expense tracker. It doesn’t have a tone of options and it’s not really designed for putting a expense report together for a business. However, what it is good for is tracking personal expenses. There are basically only two tabs. First is the Timeline. This shows your expenses you have already entered in descending order. The most current expense is at the top. At the bottom you have a add expense button. Tapping that gets you into entry mode.

Review: Kanex High Capacity Battery for the T-Mobile G1

Review: Kanex High Capacity Battery for the T-Mobile G1

After using the G1 for about three months, I came to one conclusion. The battery life just sucks. You can’t get through a day with light use and if you are a heavy user, like myself, you will need to charge before you even get halfway through a day. The Kanex High Capacity Battery for the G1 solves this and gives a heavy G1 user like myself all day battery life.

Tuxdroid the Open Source Robot Review

Tuxdroid the Open Source Robot Review

I have often wanted to buy one of those Ambient Devices Judie blogged about a few weeks ago. I’ve also wanted a Nabaztag as well, since they are cute and can do some really cool stuff like play mp3 files or provide e-mail alerts. I don’t want either anymore, thanks to kysoh.com who sent me a Tuxdroid that is not only very cute, but is also based on open source software.

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