I have never been enamored of skins for my smartphones. Over the years I’ve tried several, but I always found them to be too tacky, or they peeled immediately, or I couldn’t get the bubbles out. But when Slickwraps offered the chance to review their new HTC One M8 skins, I figured it was time to give skins another shot!
For the first few years after I was diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis, I took a medication known for harsh side effects. I was largely unaffected, but I did develop high blood pressure as a result. It is in check but needs to be monitored daily. My latest tool in the battle to stay healthy? The Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor.
STM Bags offers an impressive array of different bags and cases to help protect your gear. One of their newest products is the STM Bags Drifter Laptop Backpack. I’ve been using it on and off for a couple of weeks, and I am impressed. Don’t let its relaxed, casual looks fool you, this is a serious laptop backpack!
G5 Entertainment and Artifex Mundi has a great recent track-record of hidden object puzzle adventure games, and they continue with the release of 9 Clues: The Secret of Serpent Creek, now available for the Mac! The game tells the story of a reporter lost in a mysterious town in the 1950s and the friend who investigates!
I loved the Element Case Rogue for iPhone 5S we reviewed last month. It is a fantastic rugged case that combines great materials, superb style and plenty of protection. Now the company has released the Element Case Rogue Ducati iPhone 5S Case. The color scheme and Ducati label combine to create a beautiful and unique case. Here’s our video look.
Like a pouch-style cases, but hate fighting to remove your phone each time it rings? The Ventev glide for iPhone 5S is the pouch for you! Made from 100% leather, the $39.99 Ventev glide offers a refined look, a secure place to stow your iPhone, and it does the work of removing your phone when you need to use it.
If you use an iPhone and are looking to travel light a phone case that doubles as a wallet may be just the thing. We’ve looked at numerous wallet-cases but the Felix CrossWay may be the thinnest, the lightest and the simplest yet. The company claimed the $29.99 accessory is “The world’s thinnest wallet case” and they may be right.
The X-Doria Scene for iPhone 5C is yet another affordable case from X-Doria. At under $25 it offers decent protection for your iPhone 5C while allowing its true nature, and true color, to come through. It is available in four different colors and, thanks to the various iPhone 5C colors, the combinations are numerous. Let’s take a look.
I was impressed by the Skooba Design iPad/Tablet Courier V.3. (Read our review.) The $89.95 bag is Skooba Design’s first north/south bag, is a great way to carry your tablet, a keyboard and a few extras. It offers great organization and will last a lifetime. I had one major complaint and with Rev2 of the bag it has been addressed.
The Nyne Bass Bluetooth Speaker is a wireless, 20-Watt portable that’s designed for outdoor use. It’s powered by Bluetooth 4.0, has NFC pairing capabilities, and it has a built-in 10-hour rechargeable battery which can serve as a power bank for smaller devices; the Nyne Bass can also be used as a speakerphone. You can purchase yours for $149.95.
If you are looking for a thin, minimalist case that offers decent protection and doesn’t look like every other minimalist case, then the X-Doria Rapt for iPhone 5C is for you. This case is under $25, comes in three different color combinations, and it does a good job of keeping your iPhone 5C pristine.
Dan took a look at the Toshiba Transmemory Pro USB drive recently, and after he’d finished with it I had the chance to test out its security features. You can partition and secure parts of the drive to keep private files on it, which is great in theory; the execution, however, left quite a bit to be desired.
Being an outdoorsman can be taxing on the gear I use. Everything I carry is subject to being dropped and knocked around, as well as the elements. I usually go through several lights a year due to them breaking or getting wet. Rayovac may solve this issue with the Virtually Indestructible LED Spotlight. Can the $39.99 spotlight hold up?
If you work in extreme conditions, have a toddler, or have concerns that your iPad might be crushed or cracked due to general klutziness or negligence, then it probably makes sense that you keep yours in a bulky plastic exoskeleton. But if you prefer something protective yet visually appealing and refined, then the Beyzacases Executive S is worth considering.
If you love the look, feel and smell of leather, want a way to protect your iPhone 5S, and want to leave your wallet at home, then the Beyzacases PocketBook for iPhone 5S may be for you. It holds up to 12 different cards, some cash, and a few others items inside while offering an exterior slot for your phone.
Bluetooth keyboards are a dime a dozen; we’ve covered scores of them here at Gear Diary. Most are variations on the same old keyboard, but the Kanex Multi-Sync Bluetooth Keyboard falls into the “how did I live without this” category very quickly. Do you have an iPad and a Mac or PC? Then you need this keyboard.
I will have to confess that I missed playing the original Paranormal Agency when it first came out, and wasn’t a huge fan when I played it, finding it lacking compared to other genre games. However the sequel delivers a tense and engaging experience that is on par with some of the best games in the genre!
We recently took a first look at the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio Wireless Bluetooth speaker system with rechargeable battery. The power, the audio quality, and its sharp looks immediately impressed me. I’ve been using the speaker almost full-time at home since receiving it, and I wanted to do a more complete review. Short version: I love it!
Genealogy is more than just a hobby for me, it’s something I tend to get a bit obsessive about. I’ve been curating my family’s tree for over ten years, building upon my maternal grandmother and uncle’s research before me. The latest tool in my arsenal will hopefully be the AncestryDNA test, which I recently completed and sent in for evaluation.
The thing that has made products like Yurbuds successful is the way they rethink the design of in-ear monitors so they feel more secure, offer more comfortable and stay put. The flanges on the tips make all the difference. Acoustibuds take the same approach but do so with a BYOEB (Bring Your Own Earbud) model and cost under $15.
Over the weekend I marched into my local Verizon store and snapped up the new HTC One M8. It’s been a few years since I used Android, but the look and feel of the One were calling my name. We’ll have a full review soon, but since this phone is so new, I wanted to share a few first impressions!