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!
We have and adore a Roku 3 hooked up to our TV. It has a slew of channels from Netflix to Amazon Prime to Disney Jr., plus some light games. A brand new Roku 3 with voice search clocks in at $99, and the compact streaming stick at $39.99. So is playing iTunes Videos worth the rumored $149 for the new Apple TV?
I just went through my Amazon account, and determined I’ve read 25+ books this summer for free. Some of them were older titles, like Gear Diary Book Club selections, while others were relatively new. Plus issues of Consumer Reports and Runner’s World, all for free thanks to the local library. But how much did we really save?
Every time we take a road trip, Sarah and I have the same conversation: What movies/tv shows have we purchased for our son so he can be entertained on a long ride? We have a small library of shows and he’s usually pretty content to cycle through those. But we always lament that we can’t download from Amazon Prime…until now!
Do you use an iPhone but drool over the Moto 360? Or have you been eyeing up the beauty of the LG Urbane while staring forlornly at your 6+? Google has some good news for you: Android Wear is now available on iOS, though with some restrictions (both Google and Apple-related).
I love small multi-tools. You never know when you’ll need a tool on hand for a small job. Screwpop takes the multi-tool in a new direction, offering various focused tools in keyring form and tossing in a bottle opener for good measure. I looked at the Screwpop Tools Pliers and Utility Knife; are they worth space on your keyring?
Amazon has revamped their App Store, and in place of the “Free App of the Day”, there’s a segment called “Amazon Underground“. Silly name aside, this category consists of 100% free apps-no upfront cost, and ZERO in-app purchases! Amazon is eating the costs associated with freemium apps to boost their app downloads, and it is working on me!
If I’m not careful, the number of cables and chargers by my bedside table can quickly spin out of control. My power strip gets overstuffed, and the various charging cables start to twine together like some kind of electronic rat king. I’ve been working hard to keep things streamlined, and the aLLreLi Dual USB charger is a huge help!
There’s a slew of awesome science fiction movies coming out this fall, but “The Martian” looks to be one of the most interesting. The basic premise is that we send a mission to Mars, and in the course of an emergency one of the astronauts is left stranded on the surface, scrounging to survive while awaiting rescue in 4 years.
One of my favorite exchanges in “The Simpsons” comes from “Treehouse of Horror III”, where Homer goes to buy a doll for Bart and has an exchange about the tradeoffs (doll is good, but cursed, but comes with a free frogurt, also cursed). It seems like the same good/bad tradeoffs exist in smartphones these days as well!
I try to pack my lunch daily, in an effort to both save money and make sure my lunch is healthy. We also pack food all the time for my son with food allergies. So in my house, we appreciate a good lunchbox, and the black+blum Box Appetit has definitely met our high standards!