Articles by Zek

Smartphone Calculator

News & Features June 27, 2024

The Easy Way to Make Your Dumb Smartphone Calculator a Little Smarter

If you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember that PEMDAS was a mnemonic that many of us learned in Math class that stood for doing equations in a certain order, namely parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and then subtraction. We’ve all seen those posts on social media showing how the calculators on smartphones don’t understand the order of operations; apparently, they were absent from class on the day that PEMDAS was explained.

Butterfly Sleep Pillow

Reviews June 25, 2024

Butterfly Sleep Pillow Review: Fly into Better Sleep!

I don’t always sleep well. Every fitness tracker I’ve ever tested has given me poor marks for being flail-y while I sleep. All this was compounded by having to sleep on my back after surgery last year, which led me to realize I needed to up my pillow game. The Butterfly Sleep Pillow promises to be the pillow for any kind of sleeper, so of course, I had to give them a true torture test by using it for my rather disjointed sleep experience!

Kobo Clara Colour

Reviews June 24, 2024

Kobo Clara Colour Review: Enjoy Reading Your eBooks in Full Color!

I’ve always had a soft spot for Kobo readers and ebooks. They’re the biggest true competitor to Amazon, and while they’re often underrated here in the USA, they make phenomenal hardware that often rivals or beats their Kindle competitors. So I was beyond excited to test out the Kobo Clara Colour, and it has blown me away!

Logitech Brings Efficiency and Design to the Latest MX Mac Accessories

News & Features May 30, 2024

Logitech Brings Efficiency and Design to the Latest MX Mac Accessories

Even as people have returned to work, there are still many hybrid and work-from-home options out there. Within the work-from-home groups, there are two camps: the people who use their laptops all over the house and those who have an external keyboard, mouse, monitor, and full command center powered by their notebooks. If you’re in the second group and you use a Mac, Logitech has a slew of new MX Mac accessories to make your life more comfortable and productive, one keystroke at a time!

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x and ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Bring Next-Gen AI to Your Workflow

Gear Bits May 20, 2024

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x and ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Bring Next-Gen AI to Your Workflow

It’s safe to say that AI is inescapable. We’re still working out how and when AI can augment our everyday lives, but one place where it’s becoming incredibly tightly integrated is with Windows. Microsoft added the CoPilot button, and now we’re seeing AI PCs coming out to take advantage of this new feature. Lenovo is ready for both commercial and personal use with two new AI PCs, Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x and Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6.

TCL 50 XL 5G Brings Budget-Power to T-Mobile Metro!

Gear Bits May 4, 2024

TCL 50 XL 5G Brings Budget-Power to T-Mobile Metro!

TCL is wildly underrated in the phone space. They’ve been popping out excellent Android phones for several generations, constantly improving speed, displays, and cameras. Best of all, they’re reasonably priced and make an amazing bang for your budget. If you haven’t been paying attention yet, here’s your chance with the TCL 50 XL 5G on Metro by T-Mobile!

Bob and Brad Q2 Mini Massage Gun

News & Features May 1, 2024

Bob and Brad Q2 Mini Massage Gun Review: Small but Mighty Muscle Relief

Massage guns have flooded the market in the last few years, and for good reason: they’re a compact way to break up sore muscles and aid with proper recovery. It’s a crowded space, and as a result, it’s the little things that make one device stand out over another. We received a Bob and Brad Q2 Mini Massage Gun to test. Does it rise above the sea of massagers to be the one for your muscles?

Lenovo Legion Go in hand

Reviews April 16, 2024

Lenovo Legion Go Review: A Convenient Way to Take PC Gaming Anywhere and Everywhere

I’m not a hardcore gamer, but I do enjoy playing video games. Unfortunately, I spent most of my formative years playing Nintendo and Sega games, and anything more complicated has always spooked me. It’s never too late to face your fear of video games that are more complicated than the original Mario, and I am proud to say I’ve mastered far more complex games, thanks to my use of the Lenovo Legion Go!

Lenovo ThinkCentre M75q Gen 5

News & Features April 16, 2024

Lenovo ThinkCentre M75q Gen 5, M75s Gen 5, and M75t Gen 5 Get Even Smarter and More Capable!

Lenovo knows AI is growing and becoming a bigger part of the everyday workflow. So it follows that Lenovo’s ThinkCentre line would somehow find a way to shrink its footprint while expanding its AI capabilities! Whether you need the compact size of the Lenovo ThinkCentre M75q Gen 5 or the chip-level AI technology of the smart and efficient ThinkCentre M75s Gen 5 and, in select markets outside of the US, the ThinkCentre M75t Gen 5, there’s a ThinkCentre that will fit the bill!

TCL Enlists AI to Make the Movie, "Next Stop Paris," and We Have a Few Concerns

Gear Bits April 15, 2024

TCL Enlists AI to Make the Movie, “Next Stop Paris,” and We Have a Few Concerns

I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but TCL’s new movie trailer for Next Stop Paris is suspicious. It’s apparently part of TCL’s push for AI-generated content, and it’s been made by a mix of human writing, actors in motion capture, and generative AI. It’s also the best argument I’ve ever seen for not being worried that AI will replace real actors anytime soon!

AnkerMake M5 Review: 3D Printing Made Easy Enough for Almost Anyone to Do it!

Reviews March 6, 2024

AnkerMake M5 Review: 3D Printing Made Easy Enough for Almost Anyone to Do it!

A few years ago, I was sucked into the world of 3D printing with a Creality Ender 3 Pro. I have joked for years that I don’t need a pet; I have a 3D printer because, much like a pet, it is moody, sheds, and often has ailments it can’t explain. But I’ve been testing the AnkerMake M5, and it’s as close as possible to 3D printer perfection!

Lenovo ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop Concept Brings Transparency to a New Level, and There Are Refreshes for the ThinkPad Line

Events, News & Features February 26, 2024

Lenovo ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop Concept Brings Transparency to a New Level, and There Are Refreshes for the ThinkPad Line

You can always count on two things from Lenovo: solid computers that will carry you through anything you need and concepts so interesting and outside the box they make regular computers look like children’s toys. Their offerings from MWC combine both, with new ThinkPads and a wildly exciting new ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop concept!

Mophie Brings Portable Power to Your Daily Arsenal

Gear Bits, Events January 11, 2024

Mophie Brings Portable Power to Your Daily Arsenal

Once, at a CES several years ago, a member of the Gear Diary team had something unthinkable happen — she ran out of battery on her phone. Yes, we obviously had access to wall chargers, but running out of juice on the go was still a major issue. No one understands the importance of not losing power like our friends at mophie, and they’ve got some new power solutions to ensure it doesn’t happen to you! First, mophie is bringing back its iconic juice pack for the iPhone 15, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max. It’ll retail for $99.95 and…

Garmin Recognizes Women Need Devices That Work as Hard as They Do!

Gear Bits, Events, Health and Fitness January 11, 2024

Garmin Recognizes Women Need Devices That Work as Hard as They Do!

Garmin is synonymous with excellence in GPS tracking for athletic activities. But also, when most people think of Garmin, they think of big, chunky running watches. It’s safe to say that most GPS watches aren’t designed for aesthetics first, but Garmin has some cool ideas up their (sweat-wicking) sleeves to make fitness tracking a lot more comfortable. First of all, if you’re someone who has ever had to wear a support garment under their shirt, you’ll know that chest straps can often get in the way of sports bras. Garmin is trying to solve that with the HRM-Fit. It’s designed…