Reviews

Thinksound Headphones: Green Sounds Good, Really Good

Going green and buying electronics usually don’t mesh very well.  Thinksound set out to create great sounding headphones that were also friendly to the environment too.  Not an easy task to say the least, but one the company took very seriously. Thinksound‘s lineup currently consists of two eco-friendly headphones.  The company was kind enough to send me both to review. Does being “green” mean you have to sacrifice sound quality? Click on through to find out, but here’s a hint, in a word, nope….


AblePlanet True Fidelity with Linx Audio Review

Having done some traveling during December, you start to get used to the accompanying rumble associated with it, be it from passengers waiting for a plane or the sound of an engine a few feet from your ear.  The best way to completely drown the world out is with a decent pair of headphones, and if you couple those with noise canceling you are onto a winner. While noise-canceling headphones have typically been a pricey proposition, these new ‘phones from AblePlanet come in at just $129.99, and seem to be pretty good value.


DocuPen X Series- Review

We saw a lot of neat stuff at CES last month. One of the most interesting, at least to my mind, was a small hand-held scanner from PlanOn. At just about 9 inches long and a tiny bit thicker than an iPhone, the DocuPen X05 isn’t cheap… but it’s pretty impressive nonetheless. The company sent me a loaner unit, and I’ve been using it for the past week or so. Despite some frustrations when I initially tried to get it set up, I have been more than a bit “wowed” by this little gadget. Let’s take a look.


Titan TTC-G9TZ Notebook Cooler Review

A constant issue with notebook users is heat.  There are many products to assist in heat protection.  Some of these products are designed for protecting the user’s lap from heat and some for managing the temperature of the notebook.  These coolers come in many shapes and sizes, with or without fans and a variety of material.  Some are designed to be mobile while others are to be used on a desk and provide an improved typing angle.  The folks at Titan Technology Limited recently released a notebook cooler that combines all of these options in one product and provided me…


iGo Review: Stop Vampire Power from Sucking

Vampire power is the power your electronic devices use when they’re turned off.  Example:  You plug your digital camera into an electrical outlet to re-charge its battery.  Once the battery is fully charged the camera keeps taking power from the wall and attempts to give it to the camera’s battery even though it doesn’t need it. iGo‘s new line of green power accessories seek to stop this wasted use of electricity.  This is turn should save you money in the form of less power used and a smaller electric bill as a result. While at CES 2010 I met with…


Case-Mate Turtle Case for iPhone 3G/3Gs Review

There are not a lot of choices when it comes to maximum protection for your iPhone.  One of Case-Mate‘s newest additions, the Turtle Case, seeks to join the select group. The two-part plastic and silicone construction of the Turtle case means you’ll “have the best armor available for the more delicate iPhone technology inside.”  It features a super tight fit and two levels of shock and impact protection for your phone complete in a stylish design that’s sure to garner some attention. The case comes in four color varieties and is available directly from Case-Mate for $29.99 Click on through…


Wilson Electronics Sleek Cell Signal Booster- Review

Every now and then you come across a product that promises to do things exceptionally well for a lower price than you would otherwise expect and… it actually exceeds your expectations. That’s the case with the Sleek cell phone booster for Wilson Electronics. We had a chance to meet with representatives from the company when we were in Las Vegas for CES and, thanks to them, I’ve been using a review unit of the Sleek for the past week or so. The unit is small, surprisingly inexpensive and it works phenomenally well. I live in a part of New Jersey…


PhoneSuit Primo “Made For iPod, Works w/iPhone” Battery Review

The iPhone has been great for the aftermarket battery business. I don’t know any power-user who does not carry at least one additional method of charging the device. I’ve tried, and been impressed by many. Most recently PhoneSuit sent me one of their Primo Micro Batteries to try out. The last product from PhoneSuit that I had the chance to review was the Mili. It had a design similar to the original Mophie Juice Pack. I liked it a lot and got a good bit of use out of it before giving it to a friend. The Primo takes a…


Words with Friends Free for iPhone/Touch App Review

Word games and puzzles have become my choice of time killers on the iPhone.  Particularly games that involve finding or spelling words.  For example, Word Scramble 2 is a solo game that is great fun and former Blue Plate Special review.  Words With Friends has not only become a method of passing time, but an obsession.  It began innocently.  I played a few games with random opponents.  Then I added my wife, a fellow coach, two of my players, a few more teachers, some friends, Dan, Judie…you get the idea.  This game has become the new rage in our high…


The Oberon Design Kindle DX Cover Review

Not long after Julie Strietelmeier and I reviewed their Kindle & Kindle2 covers, Oberon Design announced that they would be releasing a Kindle DX version. I found this news particularly welcome because shortly after we completed the review I purchased the DX. Of course, moving to a larger Kindle meant that the case I loved would definitely no longer work, and for the longest time, my DX went case-less, wearing only a Decal Girl skin. It was several months before I had the chance to review one of Oberon Design’s new DX covers, but when the opportunity came I was…


Astraware Casino for Android Review

I reviewed Astraware Casino for Symbian a few months ago, and now it has been released for Android! At the time, this is what I thought of AW Casino: Overall, AW Casino is a great addition to any phone; it offers you a huge selection of games to pass the time, is great for learning the basics of casino games, and is generally very entertaining. If you have a Symbian S60 phone, it’s definitely worth trying. Does the Android version live up to it’s Symbian cousin? Read on for my review and find out!


Pat Metheny – Orchestrion (Jazz CD, 2010) Review

A few weeks ago I posted a video of Pat Metheny announcing his Orchestrion project. The video – and all of the machinery – were quite cool, but what really matters is the final product. Well, Orchestrion was released on January 26th, and I’ve had the chance to give it several listenings and separate the coolness of the technical accomplishment from the actual musical results.


SlideScreen Android Home Screen Replacement Review

It took the Android world by storm a few weeks ago…a new style of Android Home Screen. Instead of several desktop style screens with widgets and icons, SlideScreen was only one screen, with sections for missed calls, emails, SMS, weather and time, Twitter, RSS and stocks. All useful stuff, and you could “slide” the weather/time block up or down to expand the information. Francis and I love our Android phones, and thought this had the potential to add a great deal of functionality to our phones, so we each gave it a try. Here was our experience.


Neverwinter Nights (2002, RPG): The Netbook Gamer

Neverwinter Nights is a RPG based on the Dungeons and Dragons rules developed and published by Bioware in 2002. Since then it has been patched, expanded, enhanced, gotten loads of community extensions, and patched some more, and remains a favorite game for module developers and multiplayer gamers alike. But is it something for the netbook gamer? Read on for my review of this RPG classic with a special look at how the original game and all of the commercial expansions play on a netbook.


Etre Touchy Gloves Review

It’s been a problem since the first winter post-iPhone release: How do you use your smartphone with a capacitive screen during freezing cold weather? There’s always your nose, or a quick “yank glove, interact with the phone, throw gloves back on, pray there’s no frostbite.” Etre believes they have a different solution with their Etre Touchy Gloves. I’ve been using them for a few days: do they solve the glove dilemma? Read on to find out!


Customized ZAGGskins for Mobile Devices Review

Since debuting in 2005, ZAGG’s “invisibleSHIELD” has been a very popular protective skin for the wide range of devices for which it is made.  The invisibleSHIELD’s military grade film offers good protection from scrapes, dings, and scratches without adding a lot of bulk to the device on which it’s used. Building on the success of the invisibleSHIELD, ZAGG recently introduced customizable ZAGGskins.  The ZAGGskin line is a range of wrap-around adhesive skins featuring decorative designs.  The skins are only 0.3 mm thick, but strong.  While there is a range of pre-made designs, including some newly released designs for upcoming Valentine’s…


Nexus One Desktop Dock Mini-Review

When we heard that the Nexus One Desktop Dock was finally available, I knew that I would have to order one for home and the office. Read on for some thoughts on the dock’s unique features, as well as comparisons to the BlackBerry 9700 and iPhone docks.


Diving Into the Nokia N900

One of the devices that I most enjoyed seeing demonstrated at CES was the Nokia N900. This pocket computer’s impressive specifications, its solid build, its multitasking capabilities, a web browser that looked like it could take on the iPhone’s, and yes, I’ll admit it — the cool little widgets on its personalized desktops had me intrigued. But what I really wanted was to spend a bit of time getting to know one on my own. My contact at Nokia promised that she would send a review unit, and two days ago “mine” arrived. There was a bit of a FedEx…


Mass Effect 2: Video Game First Impressions

On January 26th, one of the most anticipated games of 2009 (before it was delayed) arrived – Bioware’s Mass Effect 2. The original was released for the XBOX360 in late 2007 and for the PC in early 2008, and was met with huge critical and commercial success. Before it was released the game was already planned as a trilogy, so gamers have been eagerly awaiting this sequel. I’ve been playing for several hours and wanted to give some first impressions. Oh, and if you are wondering about the image above, suffice it to say that it is seldom a good…


Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars iPhone Game Review

Image courtesy of TechShout So I have written about the announcement of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (GTA:CW fro now on) arriving on the App Store, and of the issues running it on the first-gen iPod Touch. Now I’ve played it, and am ready to review it and let you know how it plays!


The Callpod Chargepod 6-way Charging Device Review

It seems to be a never-ending issue for me, having more devices that need charging than I have outlets available. The Callpod Chargepod touts itself as a “charging device that allows you to charge multiple cell phones, PDAs, headsets, and most other mobile electronics with a single power cord.” Without tripping a breaker or messing something up? This I’ve got to see …