Gear Bits

Phiaton's Fusion MS 430 Brings Audio Quality and Style Together

Gear Bits

Phiaton’s Fusion MS 430 Brings Audio Quality and Style Together

Phiaton‘s latest over-ear headphones are the new Fusion MS 430. “Every detail in the Fusion MS 430 Headphones was skillfully combined, fusing brilliant materials and sound technology to deliver a powerful, aesthetic and resilient headphone.” The Fusion MS 430s bring aluminum and red accents to Phiaton’s signature carbon graphite fiber design. Lightweight and durable, the 40mm drivers and oversized Neodymium magnets help create beautiful music. We’ll have links and a closer look soon.

Cut the Cords and the Noise with Phiaton's New Chord MS 530 Headphones

Gear Bits

Cut the Cords and the Noise with Phiaton’s New Chord MS 530 Headphones

Phiaton has been adding depth to their headphone lineup and their latest, the Phiaton Chord MS 530 Headphones, is set to impress. These headphones offer “incredible sound, active noise-cancellation, the flexibility of wireless Bluetooth and an unrivaled design that stands apart from competitors.” With 18-30 hours of talk and listening time these $349 headphones do it all. Check them out.

When to Expect the iOS 7 Update on Your iDevice

Gear Bits

When to Expect the iOS 7 Update on Your iDevice

Heads-up iPhone and iPad users! Before you rabidly start checking your phone for the iOS 7 update, keep in mind that Apple has typically released big iOS updates around 10:00 am Pacific Time.  This means for those on the East Coast, iOS 7 should be ready for installing around 1:00pm.  This has been a public service announcement. In the meantime, to help feed your iOS hunger, you can check out all the upgrades and enhancements that iOS 7 will bring on Apple’s website.

Apple Now Lets You Get the Version That Works on Your Crappy Old iOS Device

Gear Bits

Apple Now Lets You Get the Version That Works on Your Crappy Old iOS Device

While Apple is really good at upgrading operating systems on older devices, eventually they ‘sunset’ devices based on capabilities. This typically means you can no longer get an app that has been upgraded to require a newer OS version, but now Apple is allowing users who are looking for apps with an older OS to download the ‘last compatible version’. There seem to be limits on devices and apps, and some potential issues about non-working older versions – and nothing has been made official by Apple. But for now it works, and it is awesome.

Be Sure Your Apps Are Ready Before You Rush to Upgrade to iOS 7!

Gear Bits

Be Sure Your Apps Are Ready Before You Rush to Upgrade to iOS 7!

After Carly posted about B&N’s iOS7 ‘warning’, I got several emails from app developers warning me about potential issues with apps and iOS7 that would be resolved with updates released soon. Getting these is a reminder that it is critical that you fully assess the potential impact of updating on the apps that are critical to your daily life. So … unless you know your apps are all updated, or you only use Apple apps and basic functionality, then it might make sense to hold off for a bit. Also, be sure to (always) back up before updating the OS…

The Hidden Linux of the Week Is a Vending Kiosk

Gear Bits

The Hidden Linux of the Week Is a Vending Kiosk

Today’s hidden Linux system is one you probably never think about. Have you ever seen a kiosk like at the airport quick check in counter or running a vending area? Well my friend Dan Frey did at his office and he found out that the kiosk that Avanti Markets uses runs Linux. Dan, who is one my fellow co-hosts of The Linux Link Tech Show found this out when the vendor that runs his cafeteria at work was installing them.  They needed help setting up the network connections as the installers were primarily familiar with Windows networking. They asked him…

Don't Be an iFool, Set Up iCloud for Your New iPhone!

Gear Bits

Don’t Be an iFool, Set Up iCloud for Your New iPhone!

The iPhone is great, so is iCloud ability to automatically upload photos. It is great for viewing and sharing photos across devices, but most importantly it provides a backup in case something happens to your phone. My mother recently got her first iPhone and quickly regretted not setting up iCloud when her phone died and took two months of pictures! She got the phone through Verizon after a succession of Motorola Droid devices, and was looking forward to the whole family being on iMessage together across the country. But the Verizon folks didn’t prompt her to set up iCloud or…

The Rise and Fall of My Lumia 928

Gear Bits

The Rise and Fall of My Lumia 928

I know … you opened this to hear how I’ve given up on Windows Phone, regretted jumping ship, and am moving to more mainstream phones. Sorry, but the rise and fall here is far more literal: my phone took a spectacular triple flip dive out of my pocket today, and the results were right about what you’d expect when phone meets concrete. It started out as a pretty typical walk with my dog. I had my Lumia 928 in the pocket of my workout pants, a pocket that was deep enough to hold the phone easily. My dog was feeling…

Found- The World's Most Advanced Beer 'Koozie'!

Gear Bits

Found- The World’s Most Advanced Beer ‘Koozie’!

I’m an American. That means I eat french fries not chips, take the subway not the tube and like my beer cold. That last one is a challenge on a warm day but, thanks to the BottleCamo, keeping beer ice cold just got a whole lot easier and stylish. Made with quality stainless steel, and neoprene, you can pre-order now.

Time Gets Some Style With Tokyoflash's Kisai Maru Wood

Gear Bits

Time Gets Some Style With Tokyoflash’s Kisai Maru Wood

Tokyoflash is offering a very limited edition Kisai Maru Wood watch for $99 until Thursday September 19th. After that it will be $129. Kisai Maru Wood is “a combination of edges and circles”. It features an intuitive time display in mirrored LCD, framed by a custom designed natural wood case.

High Praise for Grand Theft Auto V Starts Rolling In

Gear Bits

High Praise for Grand Theft Auto V Starts Rolling In

The highly-anticipated open world epic drops tomorrow, 9/17, but it has already received some mighty praise today.  With a video game as hyped and extremely controversial as GTA V, you might think that it may be hard to blow reviewers away, but you’d be wrong!  GTA V hits stores tomorrow for $59.99 on Xbox 360 and PS3. IGN has rated Grand Theft Auto V a 10 out of 10, and call it a “Masterpiece.”  The Verge calls GTA V the “best game in the series to date” in their highly praising review.  Joystiq gave the fifth installment in the Grand…

The Avalanche of 5S/5C Cases Cometh!

Gear Bits

The Avalanche of 5S/5C Cases Cometh!

Did you preorder a new 5S or 5C? As always, all your favorite case companies are right there to make sure your new baby is properly coddled and swaddled … whether you’re looking for style or protection, the major players are happy to offer up the right accessory. Speck is quick to remind everyone on their website that many of their iPhone 5 cases will fit the 5S nicely, plus they have new cases just for the 5S coming soon as well. Case-Mate says the same thing, though some of the styles appear to be an acquired taste, including unusually…

The MagiCable Duo with Lightning Connector - a First World Problem Solved

Gear Bits

The MagiCable Duo with Lightning Connector – a First World Problem Solved

My phone has a Lightning Connector for charging. My headset uses a microUSB connection for charging. My desk looks like a snake pit of cables. That’s where the MagiCable Duo with Lightning Connector comes in. This $29.99 cable features a unique 2-in-1 design and works with both Apple Lightning and Micro USB tips. Check it out. You can file this one under “Solutions to First World Problems”

Apple Throws Shade: "We Don't Just Toss In Technology for Technology's Sake"

Gear Bits

Apple Throws Shade: “We Don’t Just Toss In Technology for Technology’s Sake”

Check out our thoughts on Apple’s new phones in today’s upcoming GD Newsletter. In the meantime, here’s a quote from Jony Ive in the iPhone 5S keynote video … “It’s not just rampant technology for technology sake. Every single component, every process has been considered and measured to make sure that it’s truly useful.” Now who could they be alluding to? (Here’s a hint.)

Are You a Fool to Major in Psychology?

Gear Bits

Are You a Fool to Major in Psychology?

Every fall high school seniors start looking at colleges to attend. Part of that is deciding what major to pursue. For many that is a practical matter of employability, for others more a pursuit of passion. But regardless of your motivation, there are clearly some majors destined to make more or less money than others. NPR broke it all down. It was interesting reading some of the comments … or perhaps sad, as many would conflate earnings to overall value to society, which seems like something no one would really believe at this point. You can get the complete report…

Who Wins in a Tech World When There Are No More Surprises?

Gear Bits

Who Wins in a Tech World When There Are No More Surprises?

Last week Apple made official the phones we knew they’d been planning to introduce. This came a week after Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 announcement, which a friend summed up as ‘exactly what we already knew’. No surprises from Moto X, HTC One, or Samsung Galaxy S4 either. All fantastic devices, but are we losing out because of spoiled surprises? Everyone made a huge deal about how the only surprise from the Apple announcement was the realization that the 5C was NOT the ‘low cost’ phone so many in the media had talked about, but instead the mid-range iPhone 5 replacement….

What's Red, White or Black and Filled with Sound?

Gear Bits

What’s Red, White or Black and Filled with Sound?

speeCup may look like a cup of coffee, but this cup is filled with sound. Available in red, white, or black the $129.95 speeCup is a Siri/S Voice enabled Bluetooth surround sound speaker with gesture control. 8” tall, it has a noise canceling microphone, top mounted controls and up to 20 hours of use per charge. Check it out.

Feed your Child's Imagination with FarFaria's Digital Library

Gear Bits

Feed your Child’s Imagination with FarFaria’s Digital Library

FarFaria is a children’s book app for the iPad that has made reading to your children at bedtime easier than ever. FarFaria is packed with over 450 full-color children’s stories for kids aged 2-9.  FarFaria is free to download, and you can read one full book per day; a $3.99 monthly subscription will get you access to unlimited reading. Using an interactive story discovery experience, FarFaria allows children to browse the exciting, colorful world of many areas.  The areas inside the world of FarFaria include the Animal Kingdom, Adventure Island, Fairytale Forest, Classics Grove, Singalong City, and more.  As one…

13.56 Multifunctional NFC Wristband Hits Kickstarter Today

Gear Bits

13.56 Multifunctional NFC Wristband Hits Kickstarter Today

This is a pretty cool concept for all those NFC fanatics out there.  This wristband, designed by ThirteenFiftySix out of Spain, can control many functions of your smartphone including turning off your alarm, unlocking the phone, unlocking private folders, sharing your contact information, controlling your music, and more.  A £25 pledge will land you an NFC wristband of your own. Also, for a very limited time, the first 200 backers who choose the “Pay What You Wish” category can pay whatever they think is fair for the 13.56 NFC wristband.  This wristband seems to have unlimited possibilities since the NFC technology…

Businessweek Clarifies the Twitter IPO News So You'll Sound Smarter Discussing It

Gear Bits

Businessweek Clarifies the Twitter IPO News So You’ll Sound Smarter Discussing It

Confused about the Twitter IPO? Don’t know an S-1 from a 5s? Trying to figure out how Twitter makes money? You’re not alone! Businessweek has a clear rundown on the broad details surrounding why Twitter waited to go public, why they’re filing confidentially, and when you can expect to get all the details on how the company makes money. We don’t know a whole lot beyond Twitter’s now-infamous tweet, but this article cuts through some of the conjecture and will make you sound smarter at this week’s quiz night.