News & Features

Inbox Out of Control? Unroll.me Might Be Able to Help

I get such a ridiculous amount of email every day, and much of it I don’t even need or want to read. I use Gmail, so spam is largely kept under control, but subscriptions and email lists seem to constantly pile up; unsubscribing is not always successful. I’ve been trying Unroll.me for the past week, and I think it’s helping.


Wake Up Rocking with the Soundfreaq Sound Rise

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.


Noreve Debuts New Leather Cases for the HTC One M8

I have been gushing about the quality look and feel of my new HTC One M8 for the last several days. It feels exactly like you’d expect a flagship phone to feel, with solid construction and beautiful cool metal exterior. A phone this nice needs quality protection, and our friends at Noreve have gorgeous leather offerings for the new One.


SNAP! Offers Universal Mounting of Your Mobile Devices

If you are one of those people who simply must see and have your phone with you at all times — you know who you are — then SNAP! may be the perfect mounting system for you. A universal female part clips into a universal male part, so the system will work with just about every mobile device!




What’s Your Daily Driver Smartphone (and Why)?

When we talk about a daily driver device, we’re referring to a smartphone that’s with us no matter where we go — our primary way of communicating with the world, our most favored device which, for now, just might come as close to the perfect device as possible.


Iconic TV Snark Site ‘Television Without Pity’ Gets Cancelled

  I have a specific morning reading routine. While I eat breakfast, I quickly browse Feedly for news, and then I head to Television Without Pity to catch up on the television shows I never have time to watch. Replace Feedly with Google Reader, and that’s been my routine for 10 years. On April 4th, though, TWoP is shutting down!


TAG Heuer MERIDIIST INFINITE Uses Wysips Crystal Technology for Charging

The TAG Heuer MERIDIIST INFINITE phone being shown at Baselworld 2014 may be just another overpriced luxury phone of questionable smartness, but it has one trick up its sleeve that makes it pretty freaking cool — photovoltaic charging. In other words, due to Wysips Crystal Technology, the battery charges when the phone is exposed to light — sunlight or artificial(!!!).


V-MODA XS Headphones Let You “Mind the Gap”

V-MODA’s headphones have won us over in a big way. We reviewed and loved the V-MODA Remix-In-Ear, the V-MODA M-80 and the amazing V-MODA Crossfade M-100 over-the-ear headphones. Now the company has released their latest creation. The V-MODA XS offer a sleek, ergonomic and promise great V-MODA sound. They look, and we expect sound, fantastic.




From Kickstarter to Market- A Conversation with Grain Audio

It is increasingly difficult to stand out in the world of portable audio. So many companies offer small Bluetooth speakers and a variety of headphones; to say the market is crowded is an understatement. Grain Audio accomplishes something very few upstart companies are able to do – they stand out, and they make impressive products.


HTC One (M8) Unveiled – Available Now

HTC today unveiled the HTC One (M8) – an upgrade ( 5.0 inch screen vs prior 4.7 inch screen) front facing 5 mp camera –  to their premium line of Android smartphones. Touting the continued use of metal housing and breakthrough antenna technology HTC introduces a phone with 90% metal (up from 70% in the prior version).  





Sonos Delivers New Ways to Control Your Music

I have a wide range of audio devices from which to choose. The one I use most? My Sonos system. (Check out our Setting Up Sonos video here.) Sonos has expanded their speaker offerings but the iOS and Android apps have remains mostly unchanged. Until now. New apps are on the way and they promise more music enjoyment than ever.  


VinGarde Valise Wine Suitcase Gets Bottles There Intact

A press release recently came across the Gear Diary email transom announcing a new wine suitcase from Wineline that they call the VinGarde Valise. This prompted a discussion among our editors about who would possibly ever need a suitcase for their beverages. As usual, I had a real-life anecdote about something I did while traveling that proved the case for the case.


$699 AKG K712 Pro Headphones Video First Look

  I’m a huge fan of AKG headphones. I reviewed the AKG K551 and continue to enjoy using them. When I saw the MSRP $699 AKG K712 Pro Headphones for just over $300 over on Massdrop, I jumped. They were still pricey, but you get what you pay for. These headphones are amazing. Here’s my first video look.