Articles by Greg Alston

Want a Pair of Planar Headphones? Check Out HiFiMAN' S HE400S Headphones

Reviews

Want a Pair of Planar Headphones? Check Out HiFiMAN’ S HE400S Headphones

Over the past few weeks I’ve been testing out the HIFIMAN HE400s Over Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones, after talking to a friend at CES about what company is set to take over the headphone market, and the first name they mentioned was, you guessed it, HiFiMAN. So let’s get into it! If you’re not familiar with the term “planar magnetic” (I wasn’t either until having it explained to me) there are some significant factors. Unlike dynamic headphones that are what you’d find in more common headphones out in the market, planar magnetic headphones use two magnetic fields to cause motion…

Lightroom for Android Receives HUGE Update

News

Lightroom for Android Receives HUGE Update

If you’re an Android user and are a fan of Photoshop, but you’ve just been waiting for features that iOS received first (like the ability to shoot RAW images to reach your device), you’re in luck because the update now includes Lightroom, and is available for all Android devices! For the photographer in us all, if you care about your photos enough to capture, organize, edit, and share them directly from your smartphone or tablet, you’re in luck because Lightroom is currently the FIRST and only way to get yourself an end-to-end mobile photography experience that before could only be taken advantage…

FREETEL Announces Their Latest Smartphone at MWC 16'

Events, News

FREETEL Announces Their Latest Smartphone at MWC 16′

There’s more than just Samsung and LG giving out news here at Mobile World Congress as Japan-Based Freetel has introduced their REI smartphone! The smartphone itself sports an aluminum back cover that will not only sport a diamond cut aluminum edge, but will be available in four color choices. Using the Android 6.0 operating system, the REI (which means beautiful, elegant, and wise), is the latest edition of smartphones from the brand. And with features like dual 13 megapixel PDAF rear cameras and an 8 megapixel front camera, the 5.2”-inch smartphone comes complete with a 1080 X 1920 Full HD…

Pre-Orders for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Start Today!

Events, News

Pre-Orders for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Start Today!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past 24 hours, you might have heard that Samsung unveiled their newest Galaxy phones here at Mobile World Congress 2016. We at Gear Diary had an opportunity to check out both of the unique smartphones hands on! Both devices, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge both feature an enhanced design, with a higher quality camera on top of refined software functionality. But they didn’t stop there, as they also introduced the Gear 360, their 360-degree camera that allows the user to feel fully immersed in spherical video and images….

WhitePages and Samsung Link up to Battle Unknown Callers

News

WhitePages and Samsung Link up to Battle Unknown Callers

Are you always trying to figure out what that random number is that’s calling you? Well if you have any aspirations of getting yourself a Galaxy S7, you’ll be happy to know that Samsung has partnered with Whitepages to help you out with that caller ID problem!

ALCATEL Announces Their IDOL 4 Series!

Events, News

ALCATEL Announces Their IDOL 4 Series!

With Mobile World Congress 2016 gearing up this week, ALCATEL is announcing their IDOL 4 series today. Attempting to capitalize on the success of the IDOL 3, the IDOL 4, and IDOL 4s smartphones, they are introducing new features such as the new Boom Key and a unique augmented multimedia experience. “The IDOL 4 series marks another milestone in ALCATEL innovation,” said Dan Dery, Chief Marketing Officer at ALCATEL. “The Boom Key boom-ifies everything, from the sound to photos to gaming. Something we’re really excited about, and something I’m eager to show my friends is that we’ve augmented IDOL 4’s multimedia…

The Bragi Dash Is Only Fast at One Thing: Dying

Reviews

The Bragi Dash Is Only Fast at One Thing: Dying

Typically when you spend $299 on a pair of earphones, you’re expecting quality, but you’re also expecting some flaws. Well, that’s exactly the case with the Bragi Dash. So let’s get right into it. I originally backed the Bragi Dash February 23rd, 2014 after scouring Kickstarter for $199 (early bird pricing) with expectations of getting them in January 2015 (no really, there’s screenshots): I finally received them February 12th, 2016 after much delay and plenty of Twitter and emailed excuses. It’s something I should’ve expected after being a backer of “Coin”, which most people know wasn’t the most successful launch…

Native Union Wants to Pair Your Phone to Its Dock!

News

Native Union Wants to Pair Your Phone to Its Dock!

A personal favorite company of mine, Native Union announced today their minimalistic charging line, with a host of new colors! Native Union finally announced that their popular DOCK SERIES for the Apple Watch as well as for the iPhone and iPad will now be available in a midnight blue with gold brushed metal, or a stone color with rose gold brushed metals. These new colors will completely round out the finishes to your Apple Watch or smart device when it needs to be docked to charge. Fabien Nauroy, Head of Design at Native Union comments: “Customers love our charging docks…

Alcatel Announces The First Windows 10 Phone for T-Mobile

Deals, News

Alcatel Announces The First Windows 10 Phone for T-Mobile

There have been plenty of rumors this week regarding whether or not ALCATEL would release their Windows 10 Phone at some point this week. Well it’s official. As of Wednesday, February 10th, ALCATEL ONETOUCH announced that T-Mobile will be receiving it’s first Windows 10 Smartphone in the Fierce XL, for the price of $139.99. President & General Manager for ALCATEL ONETOUCH Steve Cistulli states: “As the fourth largest mobile phone manufacturer in North America, ALCATEL ONETOUCH has continued to grow rapidly in the U.S. mobile marketplace by offering consumers the perfect amount of more when it comes to their mobile…

Finex's Revolutionary Cast Iron Skillet Makes Your Stovetop More Useful

Reviews

Finex’s Revolutionary Cast Iron Skillet Makes Your Stovetop More Useful

We’ve all gone through kitchenware pans and a skillet or two in our lifetimes, and to be honest, there aren’t a lot of good quality pans out there that won’t cost you a pretty penny for actual quality. More recently I had my cheap Black Friday skillet legitimately die on me (It was cheap) and I was pretty excited when Finex sent me their Finex Cast Iron Skillet to review. If you’re not familiar with Finex, what you should know is they are a company based in the United States that got their beginning courtesy of Kickstart, and ever since they’ve been…

Popular Smart Garden Company Edyn Announces Partnership

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Popular Smart Garden Company Edyn Announces Partnership

Last year, Perry told you all about the Edyn Smart Garden that was successfully funded by Kickstarter. Well, you’ll be happy to know that the company announced a few partnerships that will help further their growth in business in the U.S. and beyond.

Get More out of Your Laptop Charger with the Zolt Charger Plus

Reviews

Get More out of Your Laptop Charger with the Zolt Charger Plus

Apple’s MacBook MagSafe Charger is big, clunky, and gets in the way. From the large white cube, down to the all-white cable being just an eyesore from across the room, I wanted a bit more, so when Zolt sent me over their Zolt Laptop Charger Plus, I knew I’d never use the charger that came with my MacBook Air again.

The Proper Power Is the Last Battery Pack You'll Have to Buy

Reviews

The Proper Power Is the Last Battery Pack You’ll Have to Buy

You can never go without enough power for your smart devices, and one company by the name of Proper gets this. I’ve followed them for a while and finally got my hands on their Proper External Battery Pack and honestly, it’s the slimmest  and most stylish battery pack I’ve ever used. The Proper Power is a battery pack that speaks for itself in its look. If you’ve ever used a battery pack before, you know how bulky they tend to be, according to how much mAh you actually get out of it. I’ve reviewed plenty of 6000mAh and above battery…

LaCie's Rugged Mini Is Everything You'd Want in a Portable Hard Drive

News, Reviews

LaCie’s Rugged Mini Is Everything You’d Want in a Portable Hard Drive

I’ve had the pleasure of being able to review LaCie’s 4TB Rugged Mini, and I love it! A Portable external hard drive, the Rugged Mini is everything you saw from the original (and larger) LaCie Rugged Raid, but in a smaller design that maximizes its portability, all while giving you a nice flashy orange bumper that protects the device from being dropped. While the Larger Rugged dons both a Thunderbolt connection option, and a USB 3.0 connection which obviously connects to your computer, the Rugged Mini stuck to having just a single USB 3.0 port which sits at the top of…

Let Vizio Be the Way You Watch Super Bowl 50 This Sunday!

News

Let Vizio Be the Way You Watch Super Bowl 50 This Sunday!

With the biggest sporting event in the world, Super Bowl 50 coming this Sunday, there will be plenty of football fans across the globe attempting to host the biggest party ever for the most watched programs in American TV history. But the biggest question is: What will you be watching it on? Vizio, one of the leaders in America Smart TV’s and sound bars, know that you’ll be out in stores or online looking to find yourself the right setup. So why not commit yourself to a quality new television that will make sure it looks and sounds as if…

Master & Dynamic Announces Their Palladium ME05 Earphones

News

Master & Dynamic Announces Their Palladium ME05 Earphones

Most of our readers already know my love of Master & Dynamics products. Well it seems as if they just continue putting out some great products as earlier this week they announced their Palladium ME05 Earphones. The new earphones will retail at $199. Made of solid brass and then coated with the rare and durable metal palladium, the headphones feature not only a classy looking construction, but with subtle details such as the company’s beautiful logo etched into the earphones themselves. Ironically the headphones came out today, which is my birthday by chance, so I’m even more excited to get…

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Reviews

They Listened! My Review of Master & Dynamic’s MW60 Wireless Headphones

If you happened to read my review last year about Master & Dynamic’s corded MH40 Headphones last September, you know how much I LOVE the brand, and the only downside being I wanted a Bluetooth option. Well, it seems as if they heard me because late last month they sent me over a pair of their MW60 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones to try out, and they’ve easily continued their reputation as my favorite new headphone brand! The MW60’s are everything I’ve already spoken about that the MH40 featured, from their lambskin leather headband and accents, down to the steel and aluminum…