News & Features

Super Smash Bros. Nintendo 3DS Demo Details

Super Smash Bros. is coming on the Nintendo 3DS and 2DS on October 3 (Wii U version coming before 2014 year-end). Players can get a jump on the action in the upcoming Nintendo eShop demo on September 19. Platinum Club Nintendo members already have access to the same demo plus three other download codes they can share with friends.


Apple Love letter: Gives Me More Apple iCloud Storage for Less!

Here’s something you don’t see everyday, Apple just emailed me that they are increasing my iCloud storage from 55GB to 200GB. That’s nothing unusual as Dropbox recently did a similar upgrade. But Apple also changed pricing of Apple iCloud. 55GB was $100 while the new 200GB is under $45. Without my asking Apple is sending me a refund. That $45 comes just in time to help defray a tiny bit of the cost of my new iPhone 6+. How about you? Did you just get a love letter from Apple?


HTC One M8 Update Brings Extreme Power Saving and a Fix for Pocket Resets!

If you have an HTC One M8 on Verizon, here’s great news: the Android 4.4.3 “KitKat” update is out today, and it brings two excellent goodies with it! First, we’re finally getting Extreme Power Saving mode, designed to eke every drop out of a dying battery. Second, they’ve tweaked the lockscreen security app to prevent accidental resets!


The Ultimate “99 Luftballons” Cover Takes Red Balloons Literally

I have a pretty great Pandora playlist curated for myself, and one of my favorites that comes up is Goldfinger’s cover of Nena’s “99 Red Balloons”. I like the original too, but my new favorite way to hear the song is definitely this very creative version using literal red balloons as instruments. This takes some serious creativity and talent!



Guided Access in iOS Is Perfect for Kid-Friendly iPad Use!

We rarely let our one year old son play with our iPads. It’s not just that he’s little and tends to be rough on objects, it’s that he’s OBSESSED with Siri and loves pressing the home button over and over, rendering attempts to play games and watch videos impossible. However, it turns out there’s an easy solution-Guided Access in iOS!







The Real Story About All Those People in Line for an iPhone 6

Yes there are people waiting in line outside the Fifth Ave New York City Apple Store. No they are not regular customers. No they are not crazy people rabid to get their hands on the latest and coolest new iPhone 6 whose existence and release date has not yet been announced. So who are they – and why are they waiting outside in a line ?    


Hummer’s To Take Marketshare From Tablets

Back in 2010 during an Apple press conference Steve Jobs famously said that “no one’s going to buy” a phone so big you can’t get your hand around it. At the time Jobs was referencing the  early trend of bigger phones – namely the Samsung Galaxy Note. Looks likes jobs might have been wrong if a recent IDC forecast comes true.


Shut Off Facebook Autoplay To Save Mobile Data

In late 2013, Facebook began testing auto-play of videos in your news feeds. At first, this only impacted videos which you uploaded. Gradually, the feature has rolled out everywhere.  Now users have found that auto-playing video from their news feeds could be consuming expensive mobile data. Here’s a quick tip on how to turn off auto-play and save data.    


Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge Was the Coolest Thing I Saw Today

It’s not often that I attend a tech event and leave knowing that I’ve seen something that’s going to change the way I expect to use a device that I already own, but that’s what happened after the Samsung event today. The introduction of the Galaxy Note Edge was by far the highlight of my day, and I’m still wowed.


Build a Wall, er, Cover Art for Arrested Development Season 4 on DVD!

Are you an artist looking for “a nu start”? Skip the Skyping with your Phoenix advisor and head to ArrestedFanArt.com, where you can enter your design for the 4th season DVDS of “Arrested Development“. There’s a $1,000 prize plus your design on the DVD cover. But you only have until 9/16; sadly, you can’t wait for Cinqo de Quatro for this contest.



A Waterproof Smartphone Is No Gimmick

When I got my Sony Xperia Z2 smartphone I didn’t think much about the fact that it is a waterproof phone that can be submerged without the need for a special sealed case. But after Carly’s son dumped, and ruined, her wife Sarah’s iPhone 5C into the water twice I realized a waterproof smartphone is no small thing.


MOTA SmartRing May Be the Most Discreet Wearable Yet

We’ve seen all the different smartwatches that tell their wearers when calls and emails come though, but most of them are bulky and pretty obvious. If you want smart, discreet notifications without giving up your favorite vintage wristwatch, then the MOTA SmartRing may work for you. Once paired, it notifies wearers of incoming calls, texts, calendar notifications, and emails.


The Harman Kardon Esquire Mini Will be Music to Your Ears

I reviewed the Harman Kardon Esquire Bluetooth speaker a few weeks ago and was completely blown away by its build quality, feature set and, of course sound. It is a Bluetooth speaker that looks and feels more like jewelry than anything else. Now the company has announced a new speaker – the Harman Kardon Esquire Mini Bluetooth wireless speaker.