Here’s a product that seems so brilliantly obvious that I wish I’d thought of it: the new Quirky Pickup Power is a three AC outlet power strip with a built-in external 4000mAh or 6000mAh battery charger that’s always ready to go. Starting at $99.99, you can keep your portable battery charged and ready, then pop it out when needed.
If you’ve wanted a fitness tracker but balked at spending $99+ on something that counted your steps and tracked your sleep, the Misfit Flash may be just the device for you. Made of a “special soft-touch plastic”, this $49.99 activity and sleep tracker is waterproof to 30 meters, comes in seven colors, and it can be worn in multiple ways.
I never thought that I’d enjoy using much less carrying a phablet with a 6.4″ screen, but the Sony Xperia Z Ultra has really grown on me. Up until last week I was carrying it caseless, but that’s changed since receiving the Noreve Sony Xperia Z Ultra Tradition D Leather Case; it is lovely, protective, and a pleasure to use.
I’ve wanted “The Ex” Voodoo Knife Holder set since I first saw the red one years ago, but … for whatever reason I held back, and now I’m glad I did. The original was made of plastic, and its blades were made in China. This Kickstarter project brings ‘The Ex’ to us in a solid metal stand with German blades.
This is a sponsored post; we received compensation from Intel, but all opinions are the author’s. I’ve just returned from Berlin and a hectic week at IFA; it was my first time to attend. Perhaps because I went in with zero expectations, I left thinking the show was larger than expected, and I feel pretty comfortable saying that it was a great consumer electronics expo, and I’m glad that I was there.
Michael Anderson asked a question on our back channel this morning about what we hoped to see with today’s Apple announcement at 10am PT. It’s fast approaching, and we all plan on watching together here. In the meantime, we thought it would be fun to post our predictions and see how many of them come true.
One of the many things that Dan and I both agree upon is that the Sony Xperia Z2 is the best phone out now. It has an excellent camera, it’s lightning fast, it has expandable memory, and it is a factory unlocked world phone. IFA saw the introduction of the Xperia Z3, Z3 Compact, and the Z3 Tablet Compact.
This is a sponsored post; we received compensation from Intel, but all opinions are the author’s. This afternoon at IFA, Intel announced its new Core M processor. The M might as well stand for Mobile, as this processor enables “razor-thin, fanless designs with the optimal blend of beauty, performance and battery life.” Intel Core M will be available as early as October on systems from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Toshiba.
This morning at IFA, Microsoft unveiled their new flagship model, the Lumia 830. Running Windows Phone 8.1, with the Lumia Denim update, the 830 has built-in Qi wireless charging, a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, a 10 megapixel PureView camera, and a really sleek aluminum body with a colored polycarbonate peel-off back. Best of all? User removable battery and expandable memory.
I got the chance to try on the just announced Samsung Gear S today, and while I love its brilliant 2″ curved Super AMOLED screen, I can’t help but wonder if it’s just a bit too big for me. Bear in mind that I usually wear a men’s full size watch, and yet I think this one swallows my wrist.
It’s not often that I attend a tech event and leave knowing that I’ve seen something that’s going to change the way I expect to use a device that I already own, but that’s what happened after the Samsung event today. The introduction of the Galaxy Note Edge was by far the highlight of my day, and I’m still wowed.
We’ve seen all the different smartwatches that tell their wearers when calls and emails come though, but most of them are bulky and pretty obvious. If you want smart, discreet notifications without giving up your favorite vintage wristwatch, then the MOTA SmartRing may work for you. Once paired, it notifies wearers of incoming calls, texts, calendar notifications, and emails.
WARNING: The products discussed may contain or use nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical; in many cities and a few states, you must be 21 to purchase vaping products and/or products containing nicotine. Please familiarize yourself with and obey the law in your location. About a month ago, I went over to a cousin’s house and noticed for the first time that he had a small hookah on a side table in his sitting room. It made me feel less self-conscious about mentioning that I was soon going to review the Ascent Vaporizer by DaVinci. You would think that things like this shouldn’t matter, but…
Are you still trying to figure out which smartwatch is going to get your money this fall? Samsung is hoping that you’ll consider their new Samsung Gear S, with its 2″ curved Super AMOLED display. Sure it has Bluetooth and WiFi, but it also offers a trick that none of the others have yet — its own 3G source.
If you love the HTC One (M8)’s design, but you’re totally digging the Windows and Windows Phone environment these days, HTC has something that should definitely catch your attention — their flagship One for Windows Phone is available online starting at noon ET today, or you can pick one up for $99.99 at Verizon stores starting tomorrow.
Do you need a way to keep your phone or tablet powered when you are out and about? Then you should look no further than the Lumsing 10400mAh Power Bank External Battery. Able to charge your mobile phone or tablet repeatedly without being plugged in again, the Harmonica Style Power Bank is slim, powerful, and at $21, it’s amazingly CHEAP. For just a smidgen over $20, you might expect some cheaply made hulk of plastic that weighs a ton and is, well, ugly. But the Lumsing 10400mAh Power Bank is actually a very well made and classy looking tool. The battery’s packaging is…
I’ve been intrigued by the Dyson series of bladeless fans since they were introduced, but like many people, there was one little thing that kept me from purchasing — the price! A desktop fan retails for $299, and the pedestal fans start at 399! Needless to say, when the opportunity arose to review the Dyson Cool AM07, I jumped.
Have I mentioned that I live about 40 minutes from the nearest dry cleaners? And of course I have items which are “dry clean only”, so once or twice a week (when I make the drive to San Angelo) I bring along and pick up my weekly dry cleaning. It’s inconvenient and time-consuming, so I’m about to try SWASH.
While I generally do a really good job of keeping up with the weather conditions outside of my home, I can’t say that I have ever considered what the conditions inside my home might be like, beyond whether it was cool or hot enough for comfort, of course. That’s all changed since I’ve been testing the Netatmo Weather Station.
I have resisted regularly using a stylus for any of my phones or tablets, because I’m not a fan of the overly large soft-touch wide-tipped capacitive styli now available. If I were to use a stylus, I’d want it to be pen-like and more refined — with a fine, hard tip. The new Just Mobile AluPen Digital fits the bill.
If you’ve ever wanted to see what your initials would look like on a custom Vertu Monogram Constellation, but the idea of walking into a boutique didn’t appeal, then this is for you. Vertu has created an online design tool, and you can use it to customize the exterior of three of their phones to your heart’s content.