Last month I shipped a vial of saliva that I’d collected to Ancestry DNA; the hope was that their lab could tell me more about my genetic relatives, geographic origin, and my ethnicity. The results are in, and while there were no huge surprises, I did get some answers.
When the option to purchase the Google Glass Explorer Edition was made available to me, I jumped in with both feet — completely disregarding the fact that I was paying $1500 to be a beta tester of roughly $80 worth of electronics (as it turns out). Dan bought in, too, and then we both decided Glass wasn’t for us.
Today, Audrey Hepburn would have been 85 years old; to commemorate, Google has released a doodle in her image. A gifted actress, international style icon, humanitarian, and one of the most beautiful women ever, Audrey’s life was cut short by appendiceal cancer at 63. What better way to celebrate her life than to do something kind for a needy child?
Of all the phones that I saw at MWC, the Sony Xperia Z2 was the one I returned determined to buy. With its 5.2″ Display, 20.7 megapixel rear-facing camera, 4K camcorder, generous battery, and its IP55/IP58 waterproof and dust-proof rating, the Z2’s specs were pretty impressive. I’ve purchased a Z2, and I’ve made it my daily-driver. Here are some highlights.
This morning Sprint announced their exclusive new HTC One (M8) Harman Kardon edition. Also announced were Sprint Sound Sessions, a premium package of music and privileges and six months free of Spotify Premium for all new and existing postpaid Sprint customers. Sprint also said that they will will make it easier to join a Framily. No, that’s not a typo.
Manchester Orchestra is currently on tour to support their fourth studio album, Cope, which lead singer Andy Hull describes as ‘brutal’, ‘pounding’, and ‘unapologetically heavy’. That was a fair summation of their April 22nd show at Emo’s, which started strong and wrapped up perfectly.
I’ve written many reviews on extended battery packs for mobile devices, but this is the first time I’ve had an external battery that was capable of charging my MacBook Air or MacBook Pro along with all my other mobile devices at the same time. Why would anyone need or want something as big and powerful as the HyperJuice? Well …
The Scout for iPhone app was already a great personal navigator powered by over 100 million traffic sources, and loaded with “traffic-conquering tools designed specifically for when you’re on the go”, but now it is even more powerful. Now you can search for popular food and drink places along your route while navigating, and you’ll get cheap parking guidance, too. Ever had a craving for a snack or needed gas on a road trip? Most GPS navigation apps like Google Maps and Apple Maps don’t let you search while you’re already navigating. Those that do forget you’re already headed somewhere, which means…
If you live in the US, you know that April 15th is tax day — when tax returns must be filed along with payments for all taxes owed from the previous year. Have you ever stopped to think about where your tax dollars are actually being spent? The White House has released a tool that can show you (in general).
Did you read Gillian Flynn’s 2012 book, Gone Girl? Full of dark twists and a satisfyingly unexpected ending, I liked it so much that I devoured Ms. Flynn’s two other (unrelated) novels. Amy Dunne disappears on her 5th wedding anniversary; did she leave voluntarily? Did her husband David kill her? Or is something even more twisted going on? GONE GIRL — directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn — unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his…
In anticipation of Game of Thrones Season 4 tonight on HBO, Kev and I rewatched Season 3. Last night, after the season finale, we noticed this gem on HBOGo — a 25 minute recap of season 3’s high points. If you are a fan of the show, but you’re fuzzy on last season’s details, it’s time to catch up!
If you work in extreme conditions, have a toddler, or have concerns that your iPad might be crushed or cracked due to general klutziness or negligence, then it probably makes sense that you keep yours in a bulky plastic exoskeleton. But if you prefer something protective yet visually appealing and refined, then the Beyzacases Executive S is worth considering.
I get such a ridiculous amount of email every day, and much of it I don’t even need or want to read. I use Gmail, so spam is largely kept under control, but subscriptions and email lists seem to constantly pile up; unsubscribing is not always successful. I’ve been trying Unroll.me for the past week, and I think it’s helping.
Genealogy is more than just a hobby for me, it’s something I tend to get a bit obsessive about. I’ve been curating my family’s tree for over ten years, building upon my maternal grandmother and uncle’s research before me. The latest tool in my arsenal will hopefully be the AncestryDNA test, which I recently completed and sent in for evaluation.
If you are one of those people who simply must see and have your phone with you at all times — you know who you are — then SNAP! may be the perfect mounting system for you. A universal female part clips into a universal male part, so the system will work with just about every mobile device!
The TAG Heuer MERIDIIST INFINITE phone being shown at Baselworld 2014 may be just another overpriced luxury phone of questionable smartness, but it has one trick up its sleeve that makes it pretty freaking cool — photovoltaic charging. In other words, due to Wysips Crystal Technology, the battery charges when the phone is exposed to light — sunlight or artificial(!!!).
Manchester Orchestra‘s album COPE will be out on April 1st, and their tour starts March 27; We’ve already got tickets for the Austin show (April 22nd), and now all that’s left is to enjoy their new album. While it’s not out for download yet, it is available for streaming via YouTube.
Legend says that long ago, Buddha asked all the animals to gather with him on the new year. Only twelve came, and to honor them Buddha named a year for each. January 31st ushered in the year of the Horse, an event which is commemorated by the Element Case Solace Chinese New Year Edition for iPhone 5/5S.
It’s become a running joke that I always have to one-up my friend Helena when comparing our extended batteries at tech events. While I am certainly not consciously competing over which of us can carry the biggest battery, there is truth to the fact that I prefer larger extended batteries; the new iBatzz Battstation Optimus 20400 certainly fits this bill.
When traveling internationally, you won’t always have the luxury of a secure and speedy WiFi connection at your destination. One of the most reliable ways I’ve found to make sure that I’ll be able to get online with all of my devices — including my laptop — is by traveling with a hot spot rental from XCom Global.
Were you one of the 2000,000 who applied for the Mars One project? The Mars One Way video interviews five who did, and as I watched, I had to make sure that it wasn’t an SNL parody. If these are the people who will inhabit Mars, then Mars is going to be … just like Earth, only even more mediocre.