Nuance may not yet be a household name, but their software is rapidly becoming ubiquitous. Between their work with voice recognition on mobile devices and the proliferation of Dragon Naturally Speaking on the desktop, they’ve clearly become the gold standard in speech to text. Their next step? Becoming your personal assistant!
It wouldn’t be CES without case manufacturers announcing new accessories for the smartphone and tablet market, and the folks at Seido are no exception. Seido has been churning out quality cases for years, going back to ye olde Palm OS days, and they are ready to protect your Galaxy Note 3, iPad, and iPhone with style!
I owe Microsoft Windows 8 an apology. See, when I first tested it, I thought it was dreadful. But I’ve become more comfortable with the Metro interface between my trusty Lumia 928 and using a Surface RT, and it is starting to grow on me. What really changed my mind, though, is the Samsung Ultrabook I have been testing for review!
You’re probably familiar with electric toothbrushes, but have you ever had one with silicone bristles? Foreo has announced the Issa at CES, the first electric toothbrush that incorporates silicone bristles for a more thorough and hygenic cleaning of your teeth. Apparently silicon bristles are gentler on your gums and provide a thorough cleaning.
Sony isn’t about to show up empty-handed to CES! They’re showing off some seriously exciting new technology, from a 4k Handycam to action cameras and new Cyber-shot point and shoots. Whatever your digital photography and video needs, Sony is looking to cover them with new devices at CES!
Samsung has been pretty smart about their tablet releases so far, correctly predicting the demand for everything from 7-8in tablets to phablets. Now they’re going super-sized with the GalaxyNotePRO and TabPRO, two new Android tablets that will clock in with shockingly large 12.2in screens!
Most kids hate needles (and many adults do too!) How do you make it easier to handle your shots? Buzzy is a unique device that incorporates freezing and vibration to take the sting out of getting shots. New at CES is the Buzzy Mini, making it even simpler to apply the Buzzy while injecting a needle.
The Griffin Survivor line is for those times when your phone is recreating the “Worst Case Survival Guide Handbook”. For more mundane adventures, like falling from tables and cars, there’s the Survivor Clear Case for iPhone 5C. As a bonus, the back is clear, so you can show off your choice of 5C color. But is it protective enough to bear the “Survivor” moniker?
We love our Roku 3, it’s a fantastic device. For those who want the Roku experience, but also crave a “smart tv”, Roku and TCL have teamed up for the Roku TV! Details are still forthcoming, but if the experience is as seamless as the Roku box, this could be a big boon for the Roku brand! Prices and availability are still forthcoming, but you can check out the full details at the Roku blog.
I often joke we need to bubble wrap our electronics. Nothing goes caseless in our house, because between the overenthusiastic dog and the baby who thinks everything is a teether, danger lurks everywhere. We are looking at ways to protect Sarah’s new iPhone 5C, but is the Griffin Survivor the level of protection she needs, or a case of overkill?
This year, several websites tore the concept of the iPotty to pieces, pointing out that the idea of a potty training tool with an iPad mount is weird at best, disgusting at worst. It also sends a poor message about when it’s appropriate to disconnect from technology, and this Commonsense.org commercial takes that concept and runs with it.
Traditional publishing is terrified of the rise of ebooks from Amazon, but it’s not just ebooks that threaten the publishing world. Crowdfunding is useful and disruptive for more than just gadgets, and can be used to fund books as well. In fact, John Bigg’s novel Mytro is being funded successfully via IndieGoGo!
My six month old son received lots of great books for Christmas and Hannukah this year, but the one we reach for more than any other these days is definitely “Goodnight iPad“. For one, he really likes the rhyming and the pictures, and two, I am pretty sure he wonders if the book is specifically about his house!
I really like Windows Phone. It works well for my needs, and I find I am more productive on the go with my Lumia 928 in hand. It also helps that Microsoft is very willing to keep Windows Phone users happy and loyal. Their latest plan-sending an email offering 20gb of SkyDrive storage to all Windows Phone users for one year!
There is a whole niche of iPhone cases designed to protect your precious phone. Otterbox, Lifeproof, Survivor, the list goes on and on. A very different type of protective niche has begun to appear, where your iPhone case is designed to protect YOU, not the phone. Would you be willing to hold a can of mace to your head? How about a stungun?
Canning is one of those things that always sounded so good, but the actual process intimidated me terribly. It’s why I was so excited to jump on the chance to review the FreshTech Canning System. Could this all in one device provide all of the benefits of canning with none of the headaches? Read on to find out!
There are two kinds of garages out there: the garages where cars live while shelves of stuff loom over them ominously, and the garages where the idea of fitting a car amongst all the stuff stored there is laughable. No matter which garage you have, myLIFTER is a Kickstarter project designed to organize your garage and control it from your phone!
I have a few weather apps on my Lumia 928, but I’ve been keeping the Bing Weather app pinned to my launch screen because it looks the nicest. However, lately it has been all looks and no brain … either that, or it thinks if it doesn’t tell me how bad the weather is, I won’t notice the snow outside!
My Facebook feed recently exploded with snarky jokes; I was chatting with friends that I haven’t talked to in months, while Sarah and I were laughing so hard at Facebook that I worried we might wake the baby. What’s so funny? NBC’s live interpretation of “The Sound of Music”.
My wife and I have been trying in vain to keep her dying iPhone 4S alive. Last night, 1/3 of the 4S touchscreen gave up on us, and we conceded defeat and headed to the Verizon store to get her a 5C. Getting the new phone was fun, but it was even more entertaining to listen in on the various conversations and transactions around the store!
Occasionally, my wife, Sarah will point out products she thinks we should cover on Gear Diary. Often they’re interesting or unusual, and sometimes they’re just “oh, come on, you’ve got to be kidding me” ridiculous. The My Spy Birdhouse we saw on TV today clearly falls in the latter category, and Sarah practically fell off the couch laughing at it!