Like many people, I try to recycle and be somewhat cognizant of the trash I generate from just existing in the modern world. I also like to keep my wallet as compact as possible. Surprisingly, these two goals collided nicely when Reborn Rubber offered us the chance to review their wallets made from upcycled wetsuits!
My son is absolutely fascinated by science but he is terrified of black holes. For the longest time, I managed to assuage his concern by convincing him that black holes were too far for us to even see, but now science has gone and made me a liar. Also, it looks like we found Sauron, so if anyone has the One Ring, be careful.
Today is a very special day in history. Sure, two days ago was April Fool’s day, but today is the 46th anniversary of the first mobile phone call. Surprisingly, it was not a spam call from the IRS, but a legitimate test call between Martin Cooper and Dr Joel Engel. In honor of this anniversary, Motorola has a big sale!
Over the weekend, a college student got into a car she thought was an Uber, and tragically she was murdered. This is an awful story. Somehow, the folks at invisaWear, jewelry that offers emergency GPS beacons, thought this tragedy was a good opportunity to promote their product.
Big news if you’re a fanboy of Toshiba computers (hey, everyone needs a hobby) — they’re renaming themselves “Dynabook”, both in the US and around the world. This does not appear to change anything, except that next time you’re in Best Buy wondering if “Dynabook” was a character in The Incredibles*, you’ll remember it was actually Toshiba. The branding is already live on Toshiba’s website, and they’re using it as an opportunity to showcase the company’s long legacy of technological advancement. It’s actually pretty neat, explaining how Toshiba’s roots include early washing machines, televisions, and of course, early computers. Definitely…
Bad news for the six people still holding out hope: AirPower is dead. Apple announced today that the iPhone/Watch/AirPod charging mat could not be made into a viable product. Also, they needed the manpower to get Apple Card up and running-those chamfered titanium edges don’t design themselves. If you were holding out and now need a wireless charging dock, Gear Diary has reviewed devices from Scosche, Satechi, TwelveSouth, Nomad, and many others. It may sting to know that you won’t be able to charge your headphones, watch AND phone all in a perfect, Apple-designed row, but at least there are…
Technology runs in cycles. We all know that, but it seems lately like we’ve hit the low end of our current cycle, and whatever the “next big thing” is, we’re spinning our wheels until it gets here.
Kickstarter is sort of like the internet’s science fair. You wade through a lot of random stuff to find some cool ideas, but every once in a blue moon you see a project and think “Was no one around to intervene here?” That’s my take on the LapDogg, and not just because it has a weird extra G.
10 years ago, people were predicting the physical book was dead. eBooks were the rage, and everyone was predicting Kindles and Nooks would replace physical books on our shelves, in our backpacks, and on our nightstands. Instead, the physical book launched an unexpected comeback, the Nook is dying, and eBooks are back to being a niche; but they’re not dead.
If you have children, you know that they can magically bend the laws of physics. More specifically, they can take a small amount of something, say, 2 crackers, and turn it into a pile of crumbs that cover the interior of an average sedan. There’s always the car wash vacuum and using up all your laundry quarters, or there’s Autowit MiniCyclone.
The big news out of MWC 2019 has been folding phones, but they’re so last week. Nubia Alpha is the next big thing, because it’s your phone, your smartwatch, AND a stylish bit of jewelry!
Lenovo has high-end business computers covered, but they create some excellent consumer devices as well. Their IdeaPad line is for everyday computing, and the new lineup covers everything you could possibly want, from simple to powerful to all-in-one devices.
Lenovo’s ThinkPad line is famous for being workhorses that will never let you down. They’re aiming to continue that tradition with five new models from portability to power.
Lenovo makes excellent computers, and they have every possible area of mobile computing power covered between laptops, convertibles, and Chromebooks. Now they’re adding to their mobile domination with a portable monitor, the ThinkVision M14.
Once upon a time, Samsung’s Galaxy line was seen as a copy of the iPhone; there were even multiple lawsuits between the two companies over it. There’s no mistaking the new Galaxy S10 line for an iPhone now, though, it’s gone from a “copycat” to a “holy crap” with some amazing new models including the new Galaxy Fold!
There’s a cliché phrase, “If at first, you don’t succeed, try again”. Apparently, that’s how Apple feels about publishing, because they’re convinced their prior explosive failure at eBooks was a one-off, and they’ve got a great new subscription plan in the works. I’m sure publishers will love … wait, giving a 50% cut to Apple? Does Tim Cook have a head injury?
Tablets went from being the next big thing in computing to almost an afterthought. Phones have gotten bigger, computers have gotten smaller and even picked up touchscreens, so it means the humble tablet has to work even harder to stand out. Luckily for Huawei, the new MediaPad M5 Lite covers what you need and what you didn’t know you wanted!
We had the chance to check out Samsung’s new QLED televisions at CES, and they were stunning. Samsung sells literal work of art TVs called “The Frame”, but even their QLED televisions are jaw-dropping in both looks and price!
Half my household has really enjoyed testing the Monster Illuminessence lighting kits the last few weeks. The new Monster fan enjoyed the intuitiveness of the remotes, the tremendous number of flashing patterns, and of course, the color options. I found them to be a fun novelty more than a permanent lighting choice, but I’m also not 5 like my other tester…
A few weeks before we headed to CES, Solo NY reached out and asked if we were interested in reviewing their Unbound backpack. Since there’s no better torture test than a week lugging gear around Las Vegas, it came with me every step of my trip, and impressed me deeply with the amount of gear it held without being bulky.
I am utterly and completely fascinated by the saga of Theranos. The story is so insane it’s hard to believe it is true, and every new bit of information makes you wonder all over again how it all unfolded. Now ABC has waded into the discussion with a podcast expanding on their research on Theranos for an episode of Nightline!