Editorials

5 Biggest Letdowns from the Star Wars Canon "Purge of 2015"

eBooks, Editorials, Game Diary December 30, 2015

5 Biggest Letdowns from the Star Wars Canon “Purge of 2015”

Like millions of others I have seen and LOVED Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As a long time fan of films and games and books, I loved seeing things from or derived from the ‘Expanded Universe’ that were immediately familiar. In fact, everything about this great new entry was awesome … but since then I have realized what it meant to the REST of the Expanded Universe: death. It was 37 years ago that the book “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye” became the first post Star Wars book, based on some early writings from George Lucas, but later declared ‘non-canon’…

Pebble Has a Pricing Problem

Editorials November 23, 2015

Pebble Has a Pricing Problem

I love my original generation Pebble, and have kept an eye on the company and their subsequent watches. I even toyed with backing the Pebble Time, but after seeing how fast prices plummeted, I’m glad I didn’t. Understandably, many who did back the Time and Time Steel are a bit surprised by how fast prices have dropped!  

Livescribe Acquired for $15 Million-End of the SmartPen Era?

Editorials November 6, 2015

Livescribe Acquired for $15 Million-End of the SmartPen Era?

Back in 2007, Livescribe introduced a product that bridged the analog and digital worlds-you use a physical pen and real paper, but everything you do is digitized and stored to be searchable and categorized. It was awesome, and just got better-in 2014 Dan reviewed the Livescribe 3, which I continue to love.

The True Innovation in Verizon's New Motorola Droids Is the Droid Maxx 2!

Editorials October 28, 2015

The True Innovation in Verizon’s New Motorola Droids Is the Droid Maxx 2!

Yesterday Verizon and Motorola announced two new Droid smartphones; the Droid Turbo 2 with an “indestructible” screen, and the Droid Maxx 2. On paper, the Turbo 2 is the real story; the screen, 48 hours of battery life, and tons of customizations. The Maxx 2 has a lot of that, minus the indestructible screen. Oh, and it costs only $384.

It's Wednesday, So It Must Be Time for New Garmin GPS Watches?!?

Editorials, Health and Fitness, News & Features October 21, 2015

It’s Wednesday, So It Must Be Time for New Garmin GPS Watches?!?

Doesn’t it feel like I was just writing about the Garmin Forerunner 225 announcement? While it has actually been 5 months since the FR 225 reveal, since then they also added the FR 25 entry level GPS watch and each slowly trickled into availability. This year has been all about big new launches and slow product roll-outs that have left me scratching my head wondering what is happening with Garmin. Today Garmin announced three new watches that should have me excited, but instead resulted in a cynical eye-roll and vague interest in when they might hit stores – but why…

An Android User's Thoughts on iOS: Likes and Dislikes

Editorials October 7, 2015

An Android User’s Thoughts on iOS: Likes and Dislikes

I’ve been an Android user ever since I received a G1 as a gift. I’ve only ever had Android phones and tablets, so I haven’t had a lot of exposure to iOS. When my workplace offered us a phone for work use, I had a choice between a Galaxy Note 4, a Galaxy S6 and the iPhone 6.

The Frogurt is Also Cursed, or, Why Smartphones Have Become Boring

Editorials August 19, 2015

The Frogurt is Also Cursed, or, Why Smartphones Have Become Boring

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!

Garmin VivoActive

Editorials, Health and Fitness August 14, 2015

I Love The Garmin VivoActive … So Why Did I Dump It?

Back in April I reviewed the Garmin VivoActive GPS Smartwatch, listing five reasons I loved it and three concerns. After a couple of months I started drafting a follow-up about how I STILL loved the VivoActive – but stopped when an update caused issues. The next update resolved the issues, but by early July I was done. Why? Read on!

Why There is So Much Backlash Against the "Stonewall" Trailer

Editorials August 13, 2015

Why There is So Much Backlash Against the “Stonewall” Trailer

Have you heard of the Stonewall Riots? Here’s a quick refresher: on June 28th, 1969, the police raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The patrons fought back, and this sparked the modern gay rights movement. Now there’s a movie coming, but along with the trailer came a well-justified backlash from within the LGBT community. 

The New "Heroes Reborn" Trailer ALMOST Makes up for the Heroes Series

Editorials July 13, 2015

The New “Heroes Reborn” Trailer ALMOST Makes up for the Heroes Series

Heroes was a really good show, at first. It followed pretty familiar comic/sci-fi territory of people developing superhuman abilities, and the various conspiracies designed to stop and control them. Plus bad guys, pretty people, and of course, some mind-bending twists. We won’t discuss how quickly later seasons managed to squander the goodwill of that first magical season.

Are Children Getting Addicted to Technology?

Editorials July 12, 2015

Are Children Getting Addicted to Technology?

I was relaxing after going to the store today, when I came across this video via Mashable that was produced by Nature Valley. Yes the Granola Bar people. It explores the differences between generations with what they do/did when they were kids, and paints a dreadful picture of our kids who never go outside; thing is, it’s NOT the truth. My son, Luke, who is 16 has an iPhone. He LOVES his iPhone and uses it all the time. However, it’s just one of many things that he does. In fact, there’s one singular thing that over rules anything else…

Project Fi Invites Stretch to 12 Weeks (or More) for Some

Editorials July 7, 2015

Project Fi Invites Stretch to 12 Weeks (or More) for Some

If you apply for Project Fi as I did (back in April) you can check the status of your invitation on their site here.  Unfortunately in my case, it looks as if I won’t be receiving an invitation any time soon as my status shows “Expect your invite in 12 or more weeks”.