Gear Bits

Becomes a Quick Change Artist With MindShift Gear’s Lens Switch Case

MindShift Gear has just announced their new Lens Switch Case. The lightweight, unpadded pouch can be carried on the belt of MindShift Gear’s rotation180° Professional backpack so you can change lenses on the go. It accommodates a variety of different lenses and an external zippered pocket holds filters, cable release, or a cleaning cloth. Just $42.50. Check it out.


Smart PJs Bring the Smartphone to Bedtime Stories

Kids love a good bedtime story, and as they get older they love smartphones too. The recently announced Smart PJs combine these loves with pajamas that rock scannable codes. Scan the code with a phone, get a bedtime story. Each code on the PJs is a different story! The concept is cool, but the website is sadly light on details. It isn’t clear if the stories are classics or new ones written for the PJs, or how the app displays the story. Still, at $29.99, clothes that combine with a story aren’t a bad deal, and it’s a company worth…


Tapatalk Comes to Windows Phone!

Windows Phone is fast developing parity with other platforms, and while there’s a handful of top-tier names missing (cue the 10,000 “Instagram or bust” complaints), it is becoming easier to switch. Now that Tapatalk has hit Windows Phone, the platform can add one more in-demand service to its growing portfolio! If you’re a forums junkie, you probably know the name Tapatalk. For those who don’t, Tapatalk is a service that brings various discussion forums to mobile form via the Tapatalk app. You can see new posts, browse forums, answer private messages, etc, all from a phone-centric and comfortable interface. Tapatalk…


Tokyoflash Limited Edition Kisai Zone Wood Available Now

Available in limited quantities, Tokyoflash’s Kisai Zone Wood displays the time through stylized hexagons. Made from natural wood in dark sandalwood, red sandalwood or maple, Zone Wood includes time, date mode, alarm and animations. The Kisai Zone Wood is available at the special release price of $99 for 48 hours until Thursday September 5th.


Carry Your Beer The Old Fashion Way In a Handmade Ceramic Growler

Why is a growler called a growler? It seems… In the late 19th century, workers carried home beer in small galvanized pails from their local pub. The word apparently describes the sound beer made when sloshing and releasing carbon dioxide that escaped from the lid. Get your own in 32 and 64 ounces. From $66.95. Get it.


Microsoft to Purchase Nokia Mobile Unit- Developing

In big news that is not entirely unexpected the New York Times is bringing word that Microsoft is planning to purchase Nokia’s handset and services unit. The deal will cost MS more than $7.1 Billion but with Nokia handsets ruling the Windows Phone world these days it makes perfect sense. Read it.


ForkSticks and ChopKnives Are Awesome

Love Chinese food but hate using chopsticks? Hate using chopsticks but hate looking like a dork even more? These chopstick forks may be the thing for you. Sure they will make you look like an even bigger dork but you’ll look like a big dork with awesome chopsticks. Check the video out here. Via The Awesomer


‘Cuddle Mattress’ Highlighted on NPR Innovation Series

You don’t get a long-lasting relationship without actually wanting to spend significant time with another person. And since we spend a significant amount of our life in bed, cuddling seems like a great way to enhance time together – but at a cost of possible circulation and nerve damage. The ‘Cuddle Mattress’ has an innovative way to solve those! Inventor Mehdi Mojtabavi was highlighted on NPR this week because of his innovative design. It divides the upper and lower portions of the bed into a series of slats. Side sleepers can wedge their arm — or stomach sleepers can wedge…


Busted Barrel Brings Jersey Booze Back

Jersey Artisan Distilling is the first distillery to open in New Jersey since Prohibition ended. Their brand new Busted Barrel Silver Rum is made from Louisiana molasses and distilled in custom copper stills. I tried some last night and the smooth taste is awesome. Check out their story… and their current and future products here.



Get a Daily Dose of Jazz Videos from the 20s and 30s!

I love JazzOnTheTube. It delivers a daily email with a classic or modern jazz video that is always worth watching. Recently JazzOnTheTube pointed viewers to 20sJazz and 30sJazz, sites dedicated to presenting videos from those eras. If you are a fan of jazz from the 20s and 30s check them out and subscribe to the daily email! Here from 20sJazz is an amazing early video from 1923 (!) featuring Nobel Sissle and Eubie Blake. I am not familiar with Sissle, but I do remember Blake well from the late 70s/ early 80s including Saturday Night Live and White House performances. And…


PhatWare’s WritePad for iOS Adds Google Drive Sync Functionality

WritePad, a note taking and handwriting recognition app for iPad and iPhone has just added Google Drive syncronization funcationality, allowing you to take hand-written notes on your iPhone or iPad and automatically sync them to Google Drive.  This brings the number of cloud services that WritePad syncs with to 6!  WritePad goes for $8.99 on iPad and $3.99 on iPhone. WritePad, using PhatWare’s handwriting recognition software, can understand the user’s handwriting in their own style and convert it to computer text.  WritePad also syncs with other cloud services such as: Box, DropBox, Evernote, Google Drive, iCloud, and Skydrive.  WritePad also…


Impact of Android Fragmentation: Vulnerability to Malware

An interesting report from the U.S. Homeland Security Department looks at the threat of mobile malware and other malicious threats, and breaks it down by operating system. Not surprisingly Android (especially 2.x and earlier versions) was most vulnerable, but the bigger concern was the slow adoption of more secure newer OS versions left many consumers at risk. Here are more findings about the major malware which has been identified by the bulletin: 1.SMS Trojan: sends messages to premium rated numbers owned by criminals leaving the user with heavy mobile charges. 2.Rootkits: logs the user’s locations, key strokes and passwords without…


Revisiting the Awesome and Dangerous “Action Park”

If you are Facebook friends with anyone from northern New Jersey, you may have seen a recent link to a video about a place called “Action Park“. As a child of New Jersey who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, trust me: everything they say in the video is real. It really was that dangerously awesome. It has been well over 20 years since I last went to Action Park (I’m 32, so the last time I was there was probably when I was 11 or 12) but a few things stick out distinctly from the experience. One, I remember looking…


New Cable Transfers Photos From iPhone 5 to iPad 1, 2, or 3 in a Flash

USB-Fever.com has just released a new cable to directly connect your iPhone 5 to your iPad 1, 2, or 3.  The cable has a lightning connector on one side and a dock connector on the other.  Once you plug in your iDevices, you can transfer your photos back and forth with ease.  This cable retails for $12.99. If you want to physically transfer your photos from a lightning connector device to a 30 pin dock connector device, without using Photo Stream, this appears to be a very easy way to accomplish that.  There are ways to email multiple photos, as…


The Nourishmat Starts Your Gardening Adventure with Ease!

Do you lack a green thumb, but like fresh vegetables? Have only a small space in your yard but want a garden? If so, the good folks at Nourishmat have a special package for you! At $64.95 for the base model, the Nourishmat comes with a weed-barrier mat with plant templates for seeds and step-by-step instructions—perfect for beginners! It is ingeniously simple. Using the companion planting technique, the neat little package helps simplify gardening for busy folks or people with limited space. Everything from seeds (82 seedballs with 19 different garden plant types), garden mat staples to plant location and spacing is…


Virtual City Playground Takes to the Skies in Another Massive Update!

The freemium city-builder Virtual City Playground from G5 Entertainment gets another big update, and this one adds a whole new dimension as you can take to the skies! Construct a hangar, build a weather station, and run an airship to increase the happiness of your citizens! You get 14 new missions and even more fun than ever before! Ever fantasized about touching the clouds? Build a top-of-the-line airship and conquer the skies above your city! – RECRUITING ALL TRADES! Hire your friends to help with everything from hangar construction to crewing the airship. – A NEW BATCH OF SKY-HIGH QUESTS!…


ODOYO Power Shell EX Giveaway

We’ve got a great Windows Phone giveaway running through this week’s newsletter. If you didn’t see it you can check it out here. In addition we’re going to give away a brand new ODOYO Power Shell EX Battery Case for the iPhone 5. Check out Travis’ review here and then make sure to enter to win. a Rafflecopter giveaway


The Lumia 1020 Takes on School Plays in New Commercial

Microsoft’s “Wedding Crashers” video was a funny take on guests taking photos at weddings while arguing over operating systems. The sequel, “School Play”, still has some Android versus iPhone jokes, but focuses (no pun intended) on an area where the Lumia 1020 beats everyone: the camera. This commercial follows the same format-major event, smartphones out, fight fight fight, smug couple using a Lumia in the back laughing at the rest of the people. However, it’s a clearer commercial, highlighting a feature of the Lumia 1020 that no else has, rather than a “hey, we’re the alternative” vibe. And the camera…


Limited Edition Ultimate Ears UE BOOM Features Tippsy the Elephant

If you are in the market for a speaker that takes sound seriously while looking playful and fun check out the limited edition Ultimate Ears UE BOOM featuring Tippsy the Elephant. The whimsical character by artist Jason Maloney looks at home on the speaker that offers 360-degree sound and runs for 15 hours per charge. Just $229.99 at Apple.com.


TwelveSouth GhostStand Lifts MacBooks to New Levels

TwelveSouth’s new GhostStand will raise your MacBook to new heights thanks to the stand’s transparent, ultra-modern design. Your MacBook will appear to be floating six inches above your desk or table while soft silicone rails on the stand’s top keep the computer from slipping. It works with any MacBook and has an MSRP of just $34.99. Get one.