Blue Microphones’ Snowball mic is an impressive plug-and-play USB mic for PC and Mac. Now the $99.99 microphones are available for a limited time in Hot Pink, Wicked Purple, Bright Orange, Neon Green and Electric Blue. The Snowball has two condenser mic capsules and can switch between three settings for the best possible recordings. Just $99.99, check it out now.
When I had my wrist fused, my rambunctious golden didn’t move from my side for three weeks. She KNEW what was up and what I needed. The video I found on the Huffington Post shows a dog with more patience and tenderness than I thought possible. Watch it through and see if it doesn’t make you tear up. (And if you don’t get teary, see a doctor to make sure you are actually human.) via HuffPost
Belkin’s New Express Dock will sync and charge your iPad or any other iOS device with a Lightning connector. The $59.99 stand has a 4′ built-in Lightning-to-USB cable. An adjustable dial on the back of the device means you can dock your iPad without having to remove most cases. You can learn more here. Watch for our full review.
The new UE MINI BOOM is a small speaker with huge sound. It has simple controls, gets up to 10 hours per charge, and offers a 50′ Bluetooth range. Like its big brother the UE Boom, you can wirelessly pair two UE MINI BOOMs via the free iOS or Android UE MINI BOOM app for big, stereo sound. Learn more. We’ll have our full review and audio samples up soon.
I have been following the TrackingPoint smart rifle system and their releases. The mixture of technology and amazing weapon technology is mind-blowing to me. TrackingPoint has released an unboxing video of the XS2 Smart Rifle. The rifle itself is amazing in its own right, but it even comes complete with an iPad mini. Check out the video for all of the cool features. TrackingPoint Super Gun Technology Enables 3,100 Yard Shot Consistency TrackingPoint Releases Precision Guided Firearm iOS Simulator App TrackingPoint Presents The World’s First Precision Guided Rifle Technology
I loved the Libratone Zipp I reviewed, and Elana still uses it daily. Now Libratone is introducing the Loop. This $499.95 wireless speaker packs AirPlay, DNLA, and Libratone’s PlayDirect when WiFi isn’t available. Set on the floor, a table, or hung on the wall it promises a great look and sound great. Features: Works wirelessly with iPad, iPhone and Android or Mac/PC, enabling awesome sound through AirPlay or DNLA Can be used without a Wi-Fi network router through Libratone’s patented PlayDirect™ technology Streams wirelessly from Internet radio stations and services such as Pandora and Spotify, as well as integrating with…
I take a lot of screenshots when writing Gear Diary posts. Historically they have ben a disorganized mess that increasingly cluttered my desktop. Thankfully, Dropbox 2.4 offers a new feature that automatically saves screenshots to one’s Dropbox folder. That neatly puts all my screenshots in a single place and makes sharing them easier than ever. Get Dropbox 2.4. To activate this new feature, download Dropbox 2.4, launch it, got the preferences, and then select “Share screenshots using Dropbox.” It is that simple. But there is more. Dropbox 2.4 also introduces: Move to Dropbox: A context menu item that will show…
If you own a smartphone, then you NEED one of these. The DRY-ALL Wet Smartphone Emergency Kit saved Elana’s iPhone 4S when it went into the sink. Now it’s doing the same for her iPhone 5C. (Or at least we hope it is.) Smartphones cost hundreds of dollars to replace, and that makes keeping one of these Emergency Kits on hand no-brainer. You can get one for$31 at our Amazon Affiliate Store.
Apple has been getting pretty bashed over the fact that their TouchID security on the iPhone 5S has already been by-passed. It is enough of an issue that some Apple employees have clearly been pulling all-nighters. iOS 7.0.2 adds security back to the phone… for the next five minutes. Plus it lets you use Greek for Passcode. Thank goodness!
The reality is the internet is largely populated with lies. Marketing disguised as information or personal anecdotes, news that’s agenda-driven propaganda, falsified information to sway opinions, and Photoshopped images presenting a false reality. So when a fake ‘iOS 7 makes your phone waterproof’ image came out I chuckled until someone asked if it was true. No … it’s a lie.
If you are considering a prepaid mobile plan, and you are interested in keeping your hardware costs down, but you don’t want a budget phone, then Boost Mobile has some news that should pique your interest. Today they are releasing the Boost Warp 4G LTE, their $199.99 Android-powered smartphone that has a 4.5″ display and an 8 megapixel camera. The Boost Warp 4G comes with • Android™ 4.1, Jelly Bean OS • Dual Mode 3G/4G LTE • 4.5inch HD IPS touchscreen display with durable glass • 8-megapixel camera with 1-megapixel front-facing camera • 1.2GHZ dual core processor • Wi-Fi & GPS enabled • Stereo Bluetooth 4.0 • Visual Voicemail • Services: Boost…
Valve’s announcement of SteamOS it reminded me of another hidden Linux system. It is the GPL software license that has allowed many devices to adopt Linux. Android and kiosks are just two of them. This also can include devices you wouldn’t think would need an operating system like your TV. Your TV probably runs Linux. The GPL or GNU Public License is the license that the Linux kernel and the surrounding pieces of code that make a Linux system use. It is this reason that many hardware developers started looking to Linux to run the core of their devices. This…
Zagg offers excellent guarantees on their products, but do they actually live up to it? Yes! The cable on my awesome ZR-SIX headphones recently split at one of the junction points. I got on the company website, arranged a replacement, and had one on the way in minutes. I sent back the originals and … That’s great customer service!
To date, I am aware of only one dock for Android and that was the Sonr Symphony. I reviewed an early version of the dock here on Gear Diary. Hale Devices is Joe Born’s new name for Sonr Labs, and the Hale Dreamer picks up where the Symphony left off. Today they are kickstarting the Hale Dreamer Alarm Dock on Kickstarter. The Hale Dreamer combines both a physical dock with software to help control the phone while it’s in the dock. The software enables the hardware features of the dock like a real snooze button and more. It also includes…
Red Crow Mysteries: Legion is yet another excellent hidden object puzzle adventure game from Cateia Games and G5 Entertainment. I loved it on the iPad as well as the Mac, and now G5 has put the game on sale for 70% off ($1.99) for this week only, removing any excuse for genre fans not to go buy it now! Red Crow Mysteries: Legion for Mac Red Crow Mysteries: Legion (Full) for Mac Here is the trailer:
One of the overlooked features in iOS 7 is the new Inter-App Audio routing system. While not as powerful as AudioBus, Apple’s system provides yet another set of Core services that ensure system-level capability and functionality. Today IK Multimedia announced that their flagship AmpliTube app us iOS 7 compatible and adds Inter-App Audio routing system support. Here are some specifics about the iOS 7 support from the press release: Inter-App audio allows audio apps to communicate with each other and stream the audio output from one app to another. This feature is extremely handy for adding effects, and processing the…
I am not sure how I will contain my excitement/fear in the buildup to Sunday’s “Breaking Bad” finale, but I am insanely grateful to the Internet for generating content that eases the wait with humor. I cannot fathom the amount of work that went into this fan video that remixes clips from Breaking Bad into a spoken word version of “My Way”, but it is worth watching and rewatching! Fair warning: While the video does not show specific plot lines, many of the clips may be spoilers for events and scenes through the first half of Season 5.
Most so-called hardcore RPG fans who have been around for more than a few years mark the Fallout games (1 & 2, anyway) as near the pinnacle of the genre, with only occasional post-apocalyptic fare like Arcanum being released to satisfy that itch. Now StygSoft’s intriguing Underrail has been released on Steam Early Access for $9.99. Underrail is a post-apocalyptic turn-based RPG that has been developed with loads of input from the community since it hit pre-Alpha. Now it is further along, and has been included in a couple of ‘indie bundles’ and on Desura and GamersGate. But the release…
In an adaptation of an infamous truism, if it exists there is a dubstep for it. The latest example comes in the form of a challenge to Andrew Huang from one of his YouTube followers. Huang created a dubstep based on the opening to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, and the video here. So what do you think – cool or crap? You can get the MP3 version of the track using ‘Pay with a Tweet/ Facebook Share’ download. Here is the video:
Pet tracking devices have been something of a mixed bag in my house. We tested the Spotlite, which worked well even if it was a little bulky, and the Tagg, which single-handedly gave me as many gray hairs in one malfunctioning afternoon as three months of parenthood has managed. Still, the concept is a good one, and more companies are entering the growing pet tracking market. eTrak, which has a great deal of experience in GPS tracking, is debuting their PetTrak product today! It looks and functions similar to the other devices we have tested, a small device attaches to…
Today, Valve announced its SteamOS, which is built for computer gamers who want to bring their gaming experience into the living room. The free Linux-powered operating system will have a user interface that was built for use on a big screen HDTV and for viewing from the couch. Valve tells us to stay tuned for a release date, soon. One of the highlighted features of SteamOS is its in-home streaming, which promises to be able to stream any of your games from any computer in your house to your HDTV over your home network. This means that you will not…