Outdoor Technology, makers of the Turtle Shell 2.0 rugged Bluetooth speaker, which I gave a glowing review, have gone to Kickstarter to fund their next big product, the BIG Turtle Shell. This new speaker is a much larger version of their original, with a very similar design; it also includes a built-in power bank.
Homestar Runner was one of my favorite websites in college. The mix of crazy characters, funny voices, strange situations, and quotable lines was a hit with my friends and me. However, over the years, the creators, The Brothers Chaps, slowly stopped updating the site. But after four years, it was finally updated yesterday. Go check it out!
Last year Soundfreaq released a number of nicely priced Bluetooth speakers and docks with impressive features and excellent sound for the money. Now they have announced the availability of their newest speaker, the Soundfreaq Sound Rise. The Sound Rise is a modern take on the bedside alarm clock; it has all the features you want and then some.
Yes, this backpack designed to carry a keg is an April Fools joke; yes, it is absolutely ridiculous; yes, it would be kinda fun to ride down the street distributing beer; and no, you can’t buy one. But this April Fools video from Timbuk2 and Anchor Brewing is rather well made and quite funny. Check it out below.
Last week my keyring got a new addition — the Bluelounge Kii Micro-USB. The Kii is a small sync/charge adapter looks like a simple key but opens to reveal a short but very practical USB-to-MicroUSB cable. At $24.95 (the Lightning Connector version is even more) it is a pricey accessory, but the convenience can’t be beat.
When drinking spirits the right glass can have an impact on your enjoyment. The Neat Drinking Glass offers, “a superb, sensual, enjoyable tasting experience” whether you prefer rum, tequila, whiskey, scotch, vodka, or gin. The glass is designed to dissipate nose-numbing alcohol aromas and maximize the “breathing” process to enhance the flavor of all spirits. Just $27 at touchofmodern.com.
Headphone amplifiers are a great way to power personal listening devices that, like the Beyerdynamic 990Pro 250ohm headphones I recently picked up- require a bit of extra juice. The Bravo Audio V2 Tube Driven Headphone Amplifier is a rather unusual looking device that brings the old-school “tube amplifier” audio experience home at a low price. Here’s our video look.
Titanfall was released on 3/11/14 to a shower of positive reviews. Since then, players have logged countless hours and have made some general complaints. Respawn Entertainment, Titanfall’s developer, has been surprisingly responsive to its fans with regard to server outage updates as well as quickly releasing game balancing and bug-fix updates. Just yesterday, a beta matchmaking balance update was released.
We posted on the Modify Watch Mod-To-Order Kickstarter project the other day. We asked them to create a one-of-a-kind Gear Diary timepiece, and they were kind enough to do so. What do you think? The project has hit their funding goal, and you have less than a day to still get in on it. Click here to back.
Have you noticed almost every time you play Monopoly at a friend’s house, their “rules” are just a little different? Toy maker Hasbro noticed that as well, and they’re running a contest where through April 3, 2014 you can vote on some of the more popular house rules and urge that they become official.
I loved, loved, loved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when I was a little kid. They were the coolest, especially “nerdy” Donatello. So it’s with a heavy heart and the hope that this is an elaborate joke that I’m sharing the new TMNT movie trailer, directed by Michael Bay. Try not to cry as your childhood is ruined in 90 seconds.
Smartphones can be evil when you’re drinking; you might look at your phone instead of talking with friends. or you could be tempted to call or text people who aren’t drinking to tell them the brilliant ideas that came to you after a few rounds. If you’re in the right bar in Brazil, the solution is simple: the Uneven Glass.
This may be old news for some of you who were upgraded to the new Facebook interface. Mine just went live a few days ago, and there is a fresh appearance when I share a link. If there’s an image, Facebook expands it and creates an appealing “card-like” post. Google+ does this too – just not as consistently.
Tokyoflash is back with another limited edition watches; the Kisai Console Acetate combines a brushed stainless steel case, a white acetate strap, a recessed black mineral crystal lens, and bright sub-surface LEDs. Its sci-fi control panel layout adds to the unusual look and feel of the $99 watch; it is available with either blue or green LEDs.
Ever wonder why the Elio cars Judie and I both pre-ordered this past January have two wheels in the front and one wheel in the back and not the other way around? This video from Top Gear shows why using the Reliant Robin as proof. Yes, it seems the Elio approach is stable. The Reliant Robin’s? Not so much.
Skydive: Proximity Flight offers a unique skydiving sport/simulator experience using classic controllers or Kinect where players get an expanded movement range compare to real life. TopWare Interactive AG and Gaijin Entertainment used real skydiving pros in the game creation and offer freestyle, trick, route flight and adrenaline race modes plus leaderboard functions and multiplayer for $6.99 (Xbox Live exclusive).
If you like to mix drinks with the precision of a chemist this bar set is for you. The Science of Spirits mixology set has all the tools you need to make it happen. It includes a mixing flask and stirrer, lab flask glasses, test tube shot glasses, and a tray to securely carry it all on. Just $45 here!
The UNICEF Tap Project is a fantastic program that challenges us all to go without our smartphones. What do we get as a reward, other than the reward of unplugging itself? Generous donors like Georgio Armani Fragrances will give one day of drinking water to a child in need for every 10 minutes we can go without our smartphones.
Jabra’s made some nice moves in the wireless audio work in recent years. Their Jabra Revo Wireless headphones are impressive (read the review) and the Jabra Solemate not comes in Mini, original and Max. Now the company’s newest offering, the Jabra Rox Wireless headphones are available. Read on for details and for a video review recap. I love the thin, light design of these headphones and the use of magnets to not only keep the buds together when they aren’t in use AND automatically put the headset into power saving mode. If they sound good (which, based on past experience with…
Aksys Games has released 999: The Novel on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad for $4.99. Kotaro Uchikoshi wrote this mind-bending, interactive thriller, based on the hit 2010 Nintendo DS game Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors or 999, where readers can track their chosen path and can actually go back to take a different route if needed.
There’s been plenty written about the possible consequences of using a charging/sync cable to connect your smartphone to an unknown power source while on the road. Security-conscious travelers fear their cable could be used for illicit purposes by a jerry-rigged charging port which secretly pulls data from their phone while it is charging. Enter the Data Sync Blocker.