This past spring, Greg reported on the AmpStrip, a wearable device that used adhesive to stick to your body and monitor your vitals 24/7. It was being crowdfunded via IndieGoGo, and it sounded like a quantified athlete’s dream. Unfortunately, it’s apparently a pipe dream, as the company is pivoting away from fitness and is refunding all backers.
Microsoft may be a software and services company, but when they deal in hardware they aren’t joking around. They proved it today with a jam-packed presentation, releasing a new wearable, demoing a future holographic XBox option, new Lumia phones, a new Surface Pro 4, and a surprise release of a laptop called the Surface Book!
Twilight has been rebooted by Stephenie Meyer. This is not a drill. Head to your nearest bookstore immediately, because for the 10th anniversary of Twilight, there’s a new version of the story out. Where the vampire is a girl and her object of obsession/stalkery affection is a boy. And yes, it’s really by Meyer, and not fanfic like it sounds.
Last month when we read The Martian, I mentioned it has quickly rocketed up my list of favorite books. One book, however, holds the title of my all time favorite. I have read more books than I can guess at in my life, but one book has truly influenced my life: Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land.
Did you finish reading The Martian in time for its big screen debut tomorrow night? Our own Greg Alston got to see it early, and he loved it (check out his review here), and now it’s time to discuss the book! If you haven’t finished yet, steer clear-spoilers ahead!
I asked the Gear Diary team a question last night: if you had an additional $300, how would you spend it? The reason I asked, was that $300 seemed to be the average cost difference between an iPhone/Galaxy phone, and the new Nexus phones (Nexii?) and the Moto X Pure; was it enough to lure switchers?
Google was quite busy today, announcing two new Nexus phones, previewing a new Pixel C tablet, revealing a new Chromecast and a Chromecast Audio, plus several software updates! All good stuff, so let’s jump right in with a quick rundown…try to keep your wallet closed until the end!
My office is business formal. Men wear suits and ties, and women must wear skirts, pantsuits, or similar attire. It’s actually easy to dress that way once you’re used to it, but the dilemma for me is always in how to haul my gear. I am looking at the first of a few potential solutions in the Moshi Urbana Mini!
My son has a TARDIS nightlight, which I am pleased with because it sets him up well to be exposed to good science fiction early in life. I’m always looking for similar cool ideas for him, so I was very excited to take a look at 3D Cartoon LED lamps in the form of Ironman and Minions…perfect for my son!
If you’re a Netflix user who prefers to handle your subscriptions through your iTunes account, good news-Netflix is now allowing you to subscribe within the iOS app, instead of redirecting you to Netflix.com for subscription management. More importantly, Netflix announced with an “Orange is the New Black” promo clip!
I used Google Wallet for one reason: it held my loyalty cards. Unfortunately, with the new Android Pay I can’t access my loyalty cards unless I have a compatible bank card added! Wallet functioned fine without a card added, and even if I add a bank card, if it’s not a supported card I can’t access anything in Android Pay.
Pebble is having a very busy year! They ran a record-breaking Kickstarter for the Pebble Time/Pebble Time Steel, and now they’ve surprised everyone by rolling out another new watch, the Pebble Time Round. Yes, a ROUND smartwatch, with the guts of a Pebble and the style of a normal watch!
We routinely get the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog at our house, because apparently someone mistook us for people looking to waste money. I was thumbing through it the other day, and I realized there are really only two categories of shoppers for Hammacher Schlemmer: recent lottery winners, and people reading the Hammacher Schlemmer section of “Skymall” while drunk on a plane.
Most gear reviews aren’t terribly controversial or difficult. Occasionally we’ll test hardware that doesn’t work right, or a piece of software that’s buggy. But The Foot Hammock was such a headache to install I nearly gave up on the whole review, until my coworker fell in love with the concept and convinced me to give it a try!
I’ve talked before about how every athlete should have a Road ID, but there’s another market that could use one: kids with allergies. Road IDs are tough, and meant to be worn in grueling circumstances, so they’re perfect for surviving toddlers. We bought a Road ID Slim for my son with food allergies, and we’re very pleased with our purchase!
I rarely finish a book and immediately add it to my list of favorites of all time. Only a few titles have vaulted to the top at once, and The Martian definitely holds that honor-which is why it’s our next book club choice, just in time for the movie to debut October 2nd (no cheating and waiting for the movie!)
Obviously we’ve all been discussing the iPad Pro announcement yesterday, and I posed the following question to the Gear Diary team: You have $1,000, and you must spend it on either an iPad Pro or a Microsoft Surface. Which do you choose, and why?
Did you enjoy reading Ender’s Game for this month’s book club choice? Now’s your chance to sound off on what you thought! Read some of our thoughts and then dive in with yours in the comments! Just remember, the discussion and comments will contain spoilers if you haven’t finished the series.
Disney is revamping their digital movies site, Disney Movies Anywhere. They really want you to buy their videos and sign up with their service, and they’re offering a great incentive. Sign up for Disney’s new site, and link your favorite account (iTunes, Amazon, etc) and Disney will give you a free digital copy of Monsters, Inc! Disney will have a dedicated app available as well on Amazon Fire and XBox, but you can also access any videos you buy from Disney through your linked service. It takes all of 10 seconds to link your Disney account to your Amazon one, and…
Apple Watch has been stealing much of the wearable thunder since it debuted, but Android Wear isn’t cowering in the corner. Motorola, Huawei, and Asus all showed off new versions of their Android Wear watches at IFA this week. From budget-minded to extravagant, there appears to be an Android Wear watch for all tastes!
I can count on one hand the number of times I have eaten at McDonalds in the last several years. So at first the “all day breakfast” news didn’t phase me. But according to The Consumerist, McD’s needs so many eggs that it could exacerbate the egg shortage and drive up prices!