Reviews

Reviews August 8, 2011

Macbook Air Gear Review: ACME Made Skinny Sleeve Stretch Shell

If you have one of the sexy 2010 or 2011 MacBook Airs, then it makes absolutely no sense to cover that svelte beauty in a big fat laptop case. ACME Made has got perhaps one of the thinnest and most minimalistic sleeves that I have seen, so whether you prefer to carry your Air in a laptop bag or not, the Skinny Sleeve Stretch Shell may be its perfect protector. I was sent a review sample in black, but there is also a purple version; the Skinny Sleeve is available for both the 11″ and 13″ MacBook Airs. Composed of…

Reviews August 7, 2011

Review: AViiQ Portable Charging Station

The promise of converged devices like the iPhone was, among other things, the ability to travel light. Instead of needing to bring a phone, an address book, a music player, a note pad, a camera, etc., smartphones promised to replace all of that and be the only thing you needed to bring with you. Funny but, at least for many of us, that hasn’t happened. Sure, my iPhone DOES replace all those aforementioned items, but along with my iPhone I now carry an iPad, a Bluetooth headset and, at times, a second phone. And in order to keep them all…

Game Diary, Reviews August 7, 2011

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D Nintendo 3DS Game Review

Remediation works best in this classic role-playing game adventure game now available on the Nintendo 3DS, which originally released on the Nintendo 64 in 1998.

Reviews August 6, 2011

The AT&T HTC Status Android Mobile Phone Review

If you are a Facebook junkie who can’t go for even five minutes without checking in, then I may have found the perfect phone for you. HTC recently brought one their two Facebook-integrated phones to the US; somewhere along the way, the device formerly known as the ChaCha became the Status. You may remember that the ChaCha was the candy-bar style Android phone with full QWERTY keyboard that so impressed me at Mobile World Congress — mainly because its keyboard blew away the one on the BlackBerry Bold I was using while traveling. the phone formerly known as “ChaCha”, shown without its AT&T logo in Barcelona…

Reviews August 5, 2011

Review: BlueAnt EMBRACE Wired On-Ear Headphones

photos by Kevin In recent years we have seen a proliferation of on-ear and over-the-ear headphones priced in the $200-$300 range. There are, of course, the Beats by Dr Dre. They are joined by the likes of the Denon AH-D 1100 headphones (reviewed here), the Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) P5 Mobile Hi-Fi Headphones (reviewed here), the V-Moda Crossfades (reviewed here) and many more. Is there room for yet another pair of headphones in the mix, let alone from a company that is known for its Bluetooth devices rather than wired-audio? That’s the question faced by BlueAnt with the release of…

Reviews August 5, 2011

Review: Bluetrek SPEAKY Bluetooth Speakerphone: “The most friendly car kit”

I thought I had seen it all until the SPEAKY showed up at my door. SPEAKY looks like a little Kewpie Doll, albeit without hair and not quite as cute but has some interesting hidden features. Yes, SPEAKY is a full-service Bluetooth speakerphone. I took a look at one and we’re giving it away so… read on. From BLUETREK: A cute, interesting speakerphone developed for those who need a good audio quality as well as ease of control. Speaky is the first Bluetooth carkit in market which enable automatic switch on/off functions. Speaky is equipped with the best in class…

Reviews August 3, 2011

Sena Florence Rev3 for iPad Review – the Third Time’s a Charm

Back in May we reviewed the Sena Florence for the iPad 2. It was a good-looking, slim folio-style case for the iPad that included the “Auto Sleep/Awake” functionality and served double-duty as a stand for viewing and typing. The original version was a good case, but I did encounter some issues with the Sleep/Awake functionality not working as constantly as I would have liked. It wasn’t enough of an issue for me to not use and enjoy the case mind you, but it was something that I noted in the review. Last week we looked at the second version of…

Reviews August 1, 2011

ThermaCELL Outdoor Lantern Review: Helps You Take Back the Outdoors

Vacation, staycation or no-cation, no matter what your outdoor plans are during the summer months it seems mosquitoes and other flying, biting pests always seem to find us. ThermaCELL wants to help you take back the outdoors. First introduced in 2000, ThermaCELL mosquito repellent works to discourage up to 98 percent of mosquitoes, black flies and “no-see-ums” by providing a 15×15-foot barrier around us in silent, odorless and portable fashion with no sprays, fogs or flames. Recently ThermaCELL sent me their latest outdoor lantern model to test. We have been busy working on our back deck and spend a lot…

Reviews August 1, 2011

Linux Netbook Review: ZaReason Teo Pro Netbook

It has been a while since I looked at ZaReason’s Terra HD Netbook. I liked that one, but the integrated Intel graphics still held it back from those netbooks that are now shipping Nvidia Ion or Ion 2 cards for graphics. Today I am checking out one of ZaReason’s smaller netbooks, the Teo Pro. The Teo Pro is yet another netbook running Ubuntu Linux and equipped with the venerable Atom N450. In fact, spec wise the Teo Pro is almost identical to the Terra HD except that the Teo Pro has a 10.1 inch 1024×600 LCD and one less USB…

Music Diary, Reviews August 1, 2011

Music Diary Semi-Quavers: Quick Looks at Recent Releases in Pop & Rock

As I have mentioned, I love listening to loads of new music across a variety of genres, and have very much appreciated how many folks have shared new music with me since I have started writing music reviews for Gear Diary. I started off with full, large song-by-song reviews (whole notes), and then started to also do somewhat shorter reviews that don’t pick apart each song (half-notes). Then I started a series where I would have a shorter review for a number of albums that also targets a favored song and target audience (quarter note), but have found that process…

Game Diary, Reviews August 1, 2011

Zombie Gunship for iPhone/Touch

I am both a fan and historian of weaponry and aircraft. One of the meanest flying machines available in combat is the AC-130 Gunship. The AC-130 is often used to support ground troops and convoys. A 140mm M102 cannon, a Bofors 40mm autocannon and a 25mm GAU-12 Equalizer packs quit the punch. The firepower brought by the gunship is known to be feared and respected in combat. Lucky for us, the AC-130 is being used to help survivors of the zombie apocalypse escape impending doom. The entire game is spent at the helm of the three powerful weapons of the…

Reviews August 1, 2011

Skullcandy FIX Earbuds Review

We’ve looked at a number of in-ear earbuds over the past months. There were the Yurbuds that won over Elana’s heart. (Okay they didn’t win her heart but they are the first earbuds she actually likes wearing!) Then there were the earbuds that took a shower with me. Yup, these new Monster Sport headphones sound great and are machine washable too!) Today we’ll take a look at Skullcandy’s new FIX in-ear earbuds. Like the Yurbuds the FIX earbuds are designed for people who are on-the-go and active. As the company explains, “Until now, some ear buds and in-ear speakers have…

Reviews July 31, 2011

iPhone 4 Case Review: Twelve South BookBook for iPhone 4

photos by Kevin I love Twelve South‘s products. Their product portfolio isn’t the largest around, but the products they do offer are well-conceived, beautifully manufactured, and quite useful. We’ve looked at their BookBook for iPad, their Compass iPad stand and liked both. Now they have released the BookBook for iPhone 4. The $59.99 case serves a dual function of protecting your iPhone AND serving as your wallet. As the company says, it is “A Vintage Case+ Wallet for your iPhone 4”. From Twelve South: BookBook for iPhone is a wallet and iPhone case rolled into one pocket-sized, vintage book. Open this…

Gear Bits, Reviews July 30, 2011

A Gear Diary Video Look at… iPad 2 Keyboard Cases

We’re still in search of a name for this video series but, name or not, we are putting together a few more videos in the mean time. This time out we take a look at a couple of keyboard cases that are specially designed to work with the iPad 2. We look at the M.I.C. Keyboard Buddy for iPad 2 and the Adonit Writer for iPad 2($99). We also make mention of the Logitech Keyboard case by Zagg for iPad 2 ($99), the Apple Wireless Keyboard ($69) and the Waterfield Keyboard Travel Express ($49).

Reviews July 30, 2011

Sonos PLAY:3 Review

We have had a fair bit of coverage of the Sonos Wireless Hi-Fi System over the past few weeks. As I noted in my initial review of the system, I only had the review units in my home for 23 hours before I went and ordered my own. I was impressed by the ease of use, the overall sound quality, and the vast amount of music that was available to me through the Sonos eco-system. It was by no means an inexpensive purchase but I have not had a single moment of buyer’s remorse. At this point I am a…

Reviews July 30, 2011

iPad 2 Case Review: Sena Florence Rev2

We did an early review of Sena’s super slim Florence case for the iPad 2. I loved this thin profile of the case as well as the “typical” Sena quality. The leather was gorgeous, the fit and finish were fantastic and, overall, I was quite pleased. I especially liked the fact that the Florence maintained the curved look and feel of the iPad 2’s back. All was not perfect though. I found the magnets used for the auto sleep/awake functionality were a bit hit or miss. If things were perfectly lined up the iPad would wake up even though the…

Reviews July 30, 2011

Review: Sporty MP3 Player Stereo Headphones + FM Radio

I saw these headphones from miniinthebox.com come up a while back. They caught my eye, so I had them send me a set to see if they were as good of an idea as I thought they were. Let’s take a look and see what I thought was so compelling about them. What makes these semi-cool is that they are regular wired headphones as well as a wireless mp3 player once you detach the cable and insert a MicroSD card. Think Apple Shuffle but without a wire. They also have a FM radio built into them and when you have…

Music Diary, Reviews July 30, 2011

Music Diary Review: Julian Lage – ‘Gladwell’ (2011, Jazz)

Julian Lage – ‘Gladwell’ One of the most direct methods of music discovery – aside from recommendations of friends – is listening to a great recording and looking for recordings from people on that record whose playing you enjoyed. In my recent review of Gary Burton’s Common Ground, I highlighted guitarist Julian Lage. I quickly discovered that Lage had just released his second album at the end of April … so I headed back to iTunes and added another chunk of music to my iCloud! Summary: If you watch the first video I included, you will hear Julian speak of…

Reviews July 24, 2011

Review: Nest Case For iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4G

Finding a case is like an ongoing quest and adventure for any device. I have come to enjoy cases that provide dual uses such as a battery or stand. It seems that case makers are continuing to combine functions for cases while still maintaining protection and style. I recently was able to try an iPhone 4 and iPod Touch case from Nest. The cases provide protection while also doubling as a hands free display stand. Let’s take a look. The Nest cases are two piece slider style cases. The inside of the cases are lined with a soft felt that…

Reviews July 23, 2011

Paper Camera iOS App Review

I’m the farthest thing from a professional or even amateur photographer, but I have a developing (analog pun intended!) obsession with apps that augment my phone’s camera. My latest find is Paper Camera, which I happily purchased for my iPhone and iPad. At the time of this writing, it’s on sale for $.99, which is 66% off of the regular price. JFDP‘s (the developer) blurb: Seeing the world through the stylish and artistic lens of Paper Camera transforms your ordinary world into a magical experience. No boring post-process needed!! What if you could see your everyday life, your house, your…

Music Diary, Reviews July 23, 2011

Music Diary Review: The New Gary Burton Quartet – ‘Common Ground’ (2011, Jazz)

The New Gary Burton Quartet – ‘Common Ground’ In school bands the vibraphone is taught as a percussion instrument, which it certainly is to an extent as a mallet-based instrument. Yet when you listen to the sounds it produces, it is hard not to classify it closer to the piano or guitar in terms of harmonic presence. In the 1960’s two major forces emerged on the instrument – Bobby Hutcherson and Gary Burton – who took up the mantle from Milt Jackson and Lionel Hampton and modernized the instrument. While Hutcherson focused on taking the sound and style of the…

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