It feels like after the initial excitement of eBook readers and eBooks taking off, the market had leveled off. There’s still book growth, but as tablets overtook dedicated readers, and Amazon settled happily into the number one spot, the improvements slowed precipitously. But now that Barnes and Noble is showing a new willingness to enter the market, it looks like the signs of innovation are back!
I am slowly working my way through Doctor Who; I just watched the fourth season episode “The Unicorn and the Wasp”, when the Doctor and his traveling companion Donna meet Agatha Christie. The episode is amusing all by itself, but what really had me cracking up was the end …
I have a dilemma. While I don’t need to upgrade my iPad 3, I have the “I want a new tablet” itch, and it looks like the newly updated iPad mini will fit the bill nicely. The real question, though, is whether to opt for another wifi tablet or purchase one with integrated 4G!
Sarah and I are really enjoying using cloth diapers on our son. It’s economical and better for the environment, and as a bonus it horrified my parents. After trying a few different styles, we’re very pleased with Bumgenius Freetimes. At $20 per diaper they aren’t the cheapest, but they work well, are easy, and come in an Albert Einstein pattern.
For the longest time, I couldn’t sleep unless I had at least two, if not three, pillows crammed under my head. For the past few weeks I’ve been testing the Technogel Contour Pillow, and I haven’t used another pillow since. What could be so great about the $169 Contour to cause the early retirement of the “triple pillow alliance”?
Concerned about the quality of the meat at your local grocery store? Do you want to have a better idea of where your beef and chicken was raised and processed? Unfortunately, it can be expensive to try direct mail order meat, especially grass-fed meats. Luckily, Amazon Local has an amazing $99 deal for a huge kit of grass-fed meat!
Twitter came under some fire this week for the lack of gender diversity on their board. Their CEO was defensive saying he wasn’t going to add women simply to increase diversity, implying there are no women qualified to sit on Twitter’s board. It isn’t just Twitter- this “no women are qualified” attitude spreads unfairly throughout Silicon Valley.
News broke this week that a Tesla Model S caught fire after hitting a piece of debris on the highway. People buzzed about safety, and Elon Musk posted a letter explaining why the Model S is actually safer than most gas-powered vehicles. My reaction, however, wasn’t fear about Teslas – I was happy someone had a weirder “exploding car” story than me! Several years ago, I drove a 2000 Nissan Altima. It had been my grandmother’s, and since she barely drove it before I used it, it had the original battery. Fast forward several years and several thousand miles, and…
I like Windows Phone quite a bit, and am rooting for it to succeed as a viable third option in the mobile phone market. So I was quite excited to see that Microsoft and HTC still intend to work together, even with Microsoft’s purchase of Nokia. But the rumor of dual-boot Android/Windows Phone devices send a shiver down my spine. Yes, the latest rumor from Windows Phone Central is that HTC is investigating the feasibility of a dual-boot phone, which is intriguing, but I think will ultimately be very damaging to Windows Phone. There’s already a perception that developers are…
iPads are cropping up everywhere, from homes to work and even in school settings. But can an iPad truly be secured to the satisfaction of a conscientious IT department? One expert says no, and a high-profile example may prove him correct. The city of Los Angeles has been planning to roll out iPads to their students, but it backfired slightly for them this past week. They initially rolled out the iPads with web restrictions, and within a few days many of the schools realized they underestimated the ability of children to circumvent technological roadblocks. All the students had to do…
I am not sure how I will contain my excitement/fear in the buildup to Sunday’s “Breaking Bad” finale, but I am insanely grateful to the Internet for generating content that eases the wait with humor. I cannot fathom the amount of work that went into this fan video that remixes clips from Breaking Bad into a spoken word version of “My Way”, but it is worth watching and rewatching! Fair warning: While the video does not show specific plot lines, many of the clips may be spoilers for events and scenes through the first half of Season 5.
Pet tracking devices have been something of a mixed bag in my house. We tested the Spotlite, which worked well even if it was a little bulky, and the Tagg, which single-handedly gave me as many gray hairs in one malfunctioning afternoon as three months of parenthood has managed. Still, the concept is a good one, and more companies are entering the growing pet tracking market. eTrak, which has a great deal of experience in GPS tracking, is debuting their PetTrak product today! It looks and functions similar to the other devices we have tested, a small device attaches to…
I know … you opened this to hear how I’ve given up on Windows Phone, regretted jumping ship, and am moving to more mainstream phones. Sorry, but the rise and fall here is far more literal: my phone took a spectacular triple flip dive out of my pocket today, and the results were right about what you’d expect when phone meets concrete. It started out as a pretty typical walk with my dog. I had my Lumia 928 in the pocket of my workout pants, a pocket that was deep enough to hold the phone easily. My dog was feeling…
The release of iOS 7 is hardly a surprise…unless, of course, you’re Barnes and Noble. They’ve apparently wasted so much time updating their NOOK app that it won’t be up to date for iOS 7’s release. So, if you’re an iOS fan who uses NOOK, you have to choose-your books or your phone? Sadly, this is not a joke. Barnes and Noble released an email today explaining you shouldn’t upgrade to iOS 7 if you use your NOOK app regularly. See, they’re not sure if you can read your books. Maybe it will work for you, or maybe you’ll get…
Did you preorder a new 5S or 5C? As always, all your favorite case companies are right there to make sure your new baby is properly coddled and swaddled … whether you’re looking for style or protection, the major players are happy to offer up the right accessory. Speck is quick to remind everyone on their website that many of their iPhone 5 cases will fit the 5S nicely, plus they have new cases just for the 5S coming soon as well. Case-Mate says the same thing, though some of the styles appear to be an acquired taste, including unusually…
Confused about the Twitter IPO? Don’t know an S-1 from a 5s? Trying to figure out how Twitter makes money? You’re not alone! Businessweek has a clear rundown on the broad details surrounding why Twitter waited to go public, why they’re filing confidentially, and when you can expect to get all the details on how the company makes money. We don’t know a whole lot beyond Twitter’s now-infamous tweet, but this article cuts through some of the conjecture and will make you sound smarter at this week’s quiz night.
Are you watching this season of “Breaking Bad”? If not, you’re missing out on some great television. But if you are all caught up, and you need something to brighten your life before the resolution to last Sunday’s cliffhanger, check out this cameo-filled spoof called “Joking Bad” from Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. Warning: Multi-season spoilers are spoofed. Via Slate
Why did Apple release the iPhone 5c? Was it to create a cheaper iPhone? Attract a different audience? Offer some diversity to the product line? And whatever combination of reasons might have been behind the move, why does it seem like there's a high expectation of failure? The specter of Apple's stumbles in the PC market and the rise of Android weigh heavily on the 5C/5S release. It's not a secret that many people were disappointed with the launch. Analysts and journalists who predicted a cheaper iPhone are pulling their hair out, and Apple-focused blogs are running in circles trying…
Supertooth Disco Twin Bluetooth Speakers have a rich, deep sound, great battery life, and a sleek design. Looking for a powerful and portable system? The Supertooth Disco Twin set is only $199 and worth every penny. I owe the world of music an apology. See, for years I’ve blown off having good speakers around, because I hardly listen to music outside of my car. And my hearing isn’t the best, so I’ve always felt like I didn’t need decent speakers around. But now I’m testing the Supertooth Twin Speakers, and from the moment I fired them up to review I…
Are you having a hard time finding the right pillow? Technogel thinks they have the right answer with their high-tech pillows, designed to keep you cool and support your body for a more restful sleep. The catch? They’re $169…each. Ouch, but if they work, it’s worth it, right? What sets Technogel apart is their technology. The pillows stay cooler than memory foam, and their density means they spread support better than foam as well. The idea is that the ergonomics and design make for a better night’s sleep than on ordinary pillows and memory foam, and a better night’s sleep is…
The latest rumor from The Verge about Amazon’s mythical phone is that it will be free, or nearly free, even if you don’t have a phone contract. Is this enough to get people over the hump of Amazon’s legendary tracking and into their waiting arms of Amazon Prime and the Amazon App Store? Personally, I’m on the fence. I see two sides to this. On the one hand, this could be a very compelling extra phone or backup phone. For free, or nearly free, it makes for a good “what-if” device to keep in a drawer, or use as a…