Reviews


Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter Review

There was much outcry when Apple unveiled their new unibody MacBook and the new Mini DisplayPort. There was even more of an outcry when it became clear that it included —High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP). As MacWorld explained at the time– HDCP is a digital rights management (DRM) specification developed by Intel to help content providers protect their content across DVI and HDMI connections. Like other forms of DRM, HDCP will not allow content to be played on non-authorized devices. And because purchased content on the iTunes Store—protected by Apple’s FairPlay DRM—is HDCP-enabled, owners of new MacBooks are finding they…


Macally BookShell Pro2 Review

I’ve always been interested in protecting my baby MacBook Pro, but I didn’t like the look of the plastic hard cases, and I used an elastic neoprene sleeve for a while. I then searched the internet again, in the hopes of finding a cover for my MacBook Pro that was protective, and at the same time stylish. However, all I could find were really variants of the plastic case model. Until I stumbled across Macally.


Yahoo! iPhone App Review

Yahoo! has done a nice job of optimizing its mobile website and products for use on an iPhone, but until now hasn’t released a more robust application to compete with Google’s iPhone app.  That changed this past week with the introduction of Yahoo! for iPhone. Previous Yahoo! iPhone applications focused on specific functions such as social networking (OneConnect) or web searches (Inquisitor).  The new application – simply titled “Yahoo!” – is an attempt to pull together several of Yahoo!’s standard website products into one mobile software package, simulating some of the website’s primary features on your iPhone. It’s a nice…


Garmin Nuvifone G60 demo from CTIA 2009

Garmin’s nuvifone G60 is a quad band phone (850/900/1800/1900) EDGE, HSDPA and Wi-Fi device running Linux. Naturally you’d expect a phone from Garmin to be heavy on GPS features and this won’t disappoint. The video gives a nice overview of the GPS heavy feature set. The bigger question on this phone – is it introduced too late and will people buy phones that are designed around GPS rather than phone functionality? nuvifone G60 via Nan Palmero


Resco Brain Games 2009 Review

I’ve been a fan of brain training games for a while now.  I own a number of them for Windows Mobile, iPhone, and even my Nintendo DS.  What I like is that I can work with them in short time bursts – like in the gap between meetings, without a big time commitment, yet doing something fun and even personally productive. This time around, I’m taking a look at the latest brain training offering from Resco – Brain Games 2009.  Let’s take a look…


Sennheiser MM50 IP Headset for iPhone

I’m always on the quest to find new headphones to use with my phones and as we all know the headphone set that comes with the iPhone are most inadequate to the task. In my own case, I couldn’t keep them in my ear!


BlackBerry EasyDialer brings relief (and unlimited calling) to some Google Voice users

My Grandcentral account was finally updated to Google Voice and I’ve spent some time notifying people who I regularly communicate with that they need to use a new number to reach me. I think the change to a Google Voice number will be worthwhile for a couple reasons. First, I have three cell phones and people were constantly guessing which number they should call me on. With Google Voice I get to specify which phones ring and my friends and family only need to know one number. Plus Google Voice now manages text messages by forwarding any sent to my…


The Good Nite Lite Review

I know that this has to have happened to you; see if you can picture the scene: You’re laying in bed, and you wake up absolutely positive that it is time to get up, but in reality it’s just the middle of the night. It’s not too big of a deal when this happens to us adults, because we’ll simply look at the alarm clock and immediately realize that we still have some quality sleeping time left before we have to get up. We gratefully roll over, and we go back to bed, right? Young kids on the other hand,…


Modern Gaming Like It’s 1993!

I usually put into context how long I’ve been a gamer by saying that I was anticipating the release of Wolfenstein 3D in 1993 and was already a fan of the franchise. Huh? You didn’t realize there was a Castle Wolfenstein franchise before the release of the seminal first person shooter (FPS)? And wait, how does this all relate to the ‘modern gaming’ promised in the title? Don’t worry … I’ll get there!


Waterfield Netbook Sleeve for HP 2140 Review

Although it runs Windows, and I happen to be a Mac guy, I have been very happy with my HP 2140. It’s incredibly light, remarkably sturdy (thanks to its aluminum body), and it actually gets decent run time with the three cell battery and even better with the six cell. Since I swapped out the hard drive in favor of an SSD drive, the diminutive notebook has no moving parts and requires less care than most other notebooks. (Despite this I still tend to be exceptionally careful with my devices.) One of the problems with the HP Mini note is…


The Otterbox Defender – It might just save the life of your phone

There are a lot of cases out there for the iPhone 3G.  Some are stylish, some functional, others appeal to different age groups, some are minimalistic while others big and bulky.  There isn’t one perfect case for all of us, and that’s a good thing.  This individuality has allowed an influx of case manufacturers to come to market with a variety of choices.  Those of of who can’t decide on just one case are able to own wide array of “outfits” for our phone. One thing is undeniable though.  No case out there offers the amount of protection that the…


Swingline 67 Electric Stapler Review

One of the items taken for granted on a office desk is the manual stapler. Besides the pencil cup, ruler, paper clips and a tape dispenser, the manual stapler is a necessity for clerical workers to keep important papers organized. With the advances in in-office printing equipment, from fax machines and mimeograph machines to multicopy printing of 100 copies plus demand more stapling. Medical research indicate repetive motion of fastening multiple copies, particularly in large businesses producing TPS reports can actually be hazardous with low morale, stress disorders and anger management. Fortunately, there is a solution at hand.


Pocket Informant 1.0 for iPhone Review

I’ve always been a planner kind of girl.  When I was in school, my day planner was always bursting at the seams with dates to remember, assignments, lists, post-its, and notes.  I really liked having a central place for all the important “stuff” in my life that I needed to keep track of.  However, as technology advanced into the 21st century, I turned to digital organization…and I discovered Pocket Informant. Over the years, I have used Pocket Informant on almost every mobile device I’ve owned, from my Casio EM-500 to my Dell Axim to my i-mate JAQ3 (won in a…


Motorola Bag Phone 2900 Gold Series

Are you tired of using the heavy brick type phones? While useful to those who can afford them – such as executives on the go, Motorola has taken the promise of cell phone technology to consumers in rural localities. Ideal for ranchers, truckers and others outside of major cities, the promise of affordability and portability in the eighties has finally arrived in 1992. The Motorola Bag Phone 2900 Gold Series is targeting to a large consumer base – mainly sales persons – accustomed to office phones and pay phones.


Review: USBFever 3-in-1 USB Adapter for HTC Phones

I was perusing USBFever.com for some G1 accessories, and I came across this dongle that can work with my G1 or any HTC phone.  This adapter lets you use your regular or HTC headphones while charging your phone from the Mini-B USB charger.


Email Etiquette

As a communication medium – email has  had rapid adoption has become a communication standard.  Statistics, extrapolations and counting by Radicati Group from August 2008 estimate the number of emails sent per day (in 2008) to be around 210 billion.  183 billion messages per day means more than 2 million emails are sent every second. About 70% to 72% of them might be spam and viruses. The genuine emails are sent by around 1.3 billion email users. Since we all use email, you would think we could all practice a little etiquette in our email.  After all, we don’t let…


First Look… eSlick eReader

I  had pre-ordered an eSlick eBook reader a few months ago. When the Kindle 2 was announced I jumped on it, but decided to keep the eSlick in order to do a comparison. Well it shipped last week, and after the slooooowest journey from the West Coast, it arrived yesterday. First impression- I like the small light feel, I love the black color compared to the Kindle 2, but I am so(!) appreciating the simplicity of the Kindle’s Whispernet and WhisperSync technology. A few pictures after the jump, and I’ll some additional thoughts soon…after using it for a bit.


Review: USB Fever Super Travel A/C USB Wall Chargers

When I came across the Super Travel A/C USB Wall Chargers from USBFever.com, I thought they were a great idea!  So I asked USB Fever to send a set to me, I received it yesterday, and I like it even more than I thought I would.  This charger is going to save me from carting 3-4 charger adapters along, plus it will also save precious power outlets in my hotel room when I go to DC in a week.


IM+ offers Facebook chat for BlackBerry users

Are you a BlackBerry user addicted to instant messaging but hate that mobile chat eats batteries for breakfast? Constantly watching in the background for incoming chat requests tends to cause these programs to use battery power like crazy. Shape Services IM+ All-in-One Mobile Messenger is the answer for instant messaging users — Push instant messaging. The way it works is when your BlackBerry chat closes Shape’s servers keep you logged in and send an email message whenever someone tries to chat. This prevents your BlackBerry from having to constantly poll the servers. They’ve also just added Facebook chat which so…


Using the AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro

Julie and I have been using the AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro for a while, and it is time to share our experiences with this Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard Edition smartphone. This review will be appearing on Gear Diary and The Gadgeteer; before reading further, you might want to start with my First Impressions of the AT&T Pantech Matrix Pro. My comments are in black, Julie’s are in blue italics. The Pantech Matrix Pro is a chunky little brick measuring 4.17″ tall x 2.0″ wide x 0.85″ thick and 5.34 ounces, but I have to say that it is so nicely…