Two years ago I reviewed the Kia Rio, and I was pleasantly surprised. Later that year I reviewed the Kia Optima Hybrid, and I was impressed. This past week I’ve had the chance to review the 2014 Kia Soul, and I think I am in love. It was hard to say goodbye to our review car!
Ah Valentines Day. That heartwarming day filled with love, chocolate, over-priced cards and, of course, terrible gifts that far too often backfire on the giver. Sure, you can get the love of your life a Lexus tied in a red bow, but what will you do the following year? Here are a few gifts we really don’t recommend you giving.
We received a marketing email from Case-Mate this morning that’s left me scratching my head. No, it’s not that they’re still pushing overpriced bedazzled cases, nor is it that they think the ultimate Valentine’s Day gift is an iPhone case; it’s that they imply case choices are very clearly gendered: men need rugged cases, but women want sparkly ones.
Gear Diary’s own Dan Cohen headed to the North American International Auto Show earlier this month to check out Ford’s 2014 lineup. He shared some of his thoughts on the week as a guest on the Green Divas Radio Show. Be sure to head to the podcast and listen up! You can find the podcast here.
Jurassic Park is one of my favorite movies. I remember seeing it as a kid, and I was gleefully scared out of my mind in the first moments when the unseen raptor attacked the worker transferring her to a new cage. Really into Jurassic Park? Head to eBay, and you can own the very cage and raptor from the movie!
Identity theft is a very real concern these days. We try to use common sense, like regularly monitoring our bank accounts and shredding personal documents, but I keep breaking our shredders. “You get what you pay for” is definitely a good motto when it comes to motorized paper chomping machines, so we sprang for a decently equipped Amazon Basics Shredder.
iSwimband is a simple device with a lofty purpose. It’s a simple band that connects via Bluetooth to a companion app, and its sole purpose is to monitor how long someone is underwater, or if a non-swimmer is in the water. While you might think your own two eyes are enough, you’re wrong, and that’s why iSwimband matters.
I love roller coasters, but have never been as enthused about waterslides. There’s something comforting (false or not) about being securely strapped in, as opposed to a thin bathing suit being my only protection against plummeting straight down. Needless to say, I won’tt be riding the Verrückt at Schlitterbahn Kansas City … will you? Watch the video and share below!
Samsung is an absolute powerhouse in the technology world. But aside from a rather disastrous Windows Mobile phone a few years ago, I’ve never experienced firsthand what makes Samsung stand out from the crowd. After spending a few weeks working with the Samsung Series 7 Ultrabook though, I’m starting to see why they succeed — this Ultrabook is sleek, stylish and powerful!
I really like my Nokia Lumia 928, but it has a hardware bug that’s giving me more than a bit of a wandering eye. There’s an issue with the earpiece affecting at least some users where the sound cuts out during calls. Speakerphone, Bluetooth, and the headphones all work fine — just the earpiece fails. Worst of all, it comes and goes!
When my son was born, he was pretty portable. When we went out, he slept in his infant car seat. At home, he could hang out in his rock ‘n play. Unfortunately, he quickly outgrew many of these, and when traveling for the holidays we needed someplace safe and portable. Luckily, I stumbled across the Kidco GoPod!
I do a great deal of my blogging for Gear Diary on my iPad. It’s partly a convenience thing, as I can work on posts from wherever I am, and it’s partly that I have my system down so well with iOS that anything else just throws a wrench in my workflow.
I have a Surface RT, and I recently snapped up a Touch Cover for it when I saw a great deal. It arrived last night, and I was all excited… except that it didn’t work. Well, mouse and volume were responsive but nothing else. I was all set to do a return, until a post at WPCentral solved my problem!
It’s no secret that I love books. If someone you know has a soft spot for true book geekery, and you’re looking for something special for them, check out Out of Print clothing, where book covers and book themes are the inspiration for t-shirts, tote bags, iPhone cases and more! Even better, every purchase made means a book donated to Books for Africa, so your love of “1984” can bring you intellectual joy AND change the world a little bit. There’s a decent assortment of titles so far, all classics, so be sure to check them out!
Do you sweat bullets taking your iPhone to the beach? Freak that shoveling snow could be deadly to your precious device? If you’re willing to roll the dice on a generic waterproof case, Eversave has the Lotus Waterproof case for the iPhone 4S or 5/5S for only $12! Worth a try at that price.
We were watching the glitz and glamor of the Golden Globes tonight (don’t judge us) when a commercial aired that stood in stark contrast to the superficiality of red carpets. It was Bing’s “Women of 2013” commercial, and it was a beautiful love letter to the strong women of 2013. Want to learn more about the women featured in the video? Microsoft has more details and resources on all of them on a special Bing site.
Barnes and Noble tried to bury some very bad news by releasing it during CES-NOOK sales for the holiday season were dreadful. Plenty were quick to blame Amazon’s lower prices, but while that’s no doubt a factor there are some bigger issues here than prices on a few bestsellers…like marketing, and whether B&N plans to maintain the NOOK another year!
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.