News & Features

Oscar Weekend!

News & Features March 1, 2014

Oscar Weekend!

Oscar weekend 2014! Movies are one of my biggest media passions. Film have taught me so much and the Oscars are always an exciting time for me. Gravity is my pick for picture this year and is wonderfully mimicked in the above photo from artist Michael Breach (@baristart). Look for the rest of his great works to release here on Oscar Sunday in honor of the awards ceremony! One film always seems to win in all their nominations (The Matrix, Usual Suspects, Ed Wood, and the record-holder The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King). This year there will be two!… The Great…

IMO Discontinuing Support for All Third Party Networks

News & Features February 28, 2014

IMO Discontinuing Support for All Third Party Networks

In an email sent to users,  multi-platform instant messaging application maker imo announced they will discontinue support for third-party networks and instead focus  attention on their own communication platform. imo has applications which operate on iPhone , iPad. Android and the web. Prior to this change, they would allow users to connect to multiple messaging services.

Pepsi Max Presents Test Drive 2

News & Features February 27, 2014

Pepsi Max Presents Test Drive 2

Remember that crazy funny video featuring Jeff Gordon pretending to take an unsuspecting used car driver on a wild ride? For a little while some people thought it was real but it turned out to be a viral ad for Pepsi Max. One journalist in particular – Travis Okulskiski of Jalopnik – was particularly doubtful that the original was genuine.  

OS X 10.9 Users - Your Critical Security Update Awaits

Gear Bits, News & Features February 25, 2014

OS X 10.9 Users – Your Critical Security Update Awaits

If you’re an OS X 10.9 user and have not done so – now is the time to hit the “Software Update..” button. Apple just pushed out release 10.9.2 which is a critical security update that patches a vulnerability which could allow a third party on a shared wired or wireless network to intercept your bits and bytes.  Additional info via MacRumors

X-Doria Announces Case Lineup For Samsung Galaxy S5

Gear Bits, News & Features February 25, 2014

X-Doria Announces Case Lineup For Samsung Galaxy S5

There is a large number of people excited about the Samsung Galaxy S5 recently announced at Mobile World Congress. With a new phone comes new cases and accessories. X-Doria has announced three cases and a screen protector. The products will be available from X-Doria’s Amazon Marketplace and for pre-order from the X-Doria website. Prices range from $24.99 to $29.99. 

iLuv Debuts Samsung Galaxy S5 Cases

Gear Bits, News & Features February 25, 2014

iLuv Debuts Samsung Galaxy S5 Cases

Samsung announced the Galaxy S5 this week at Mobile World Congress, so naturally it is time to start seeing some accessories for the new phone. iLuv has introduced a line of cases that promise to be stylish, protective and functional. There are also three screen film options ranging from $9.99 to $19.99. The cases retail from $19.99 to $69.99. Preorder at the iLuve website.

Creoir Debuts Ibis Smartwatches-Beauty and Brains Together!

Events, Gear Bits, News & Features February 24, 2014

Creoir Debuts Ibis Smartwatches-Beauty and Brains Together!

Smartwatches are the hot gear of 2014, but they still have an aura of “geek” around them. If you’re craving something stylish AND smart, check out Creoir’s new Ibis watch. It features Bluetooth, touchscreen, iOS and Android integration and notifications, but also showcases a fashion-first design. Stay tuned for more from Judie on Ibis at Mobile World Congress!

Cameraman go! Lauched by Panasonic

News & Features February 24, 2014

Cameraman go! Lauched by Panasonic

Panasonic has launched Cameraman go! which is a cloud based video surveillance system targetted at small to medium sized businesses. this solution consists of a wifi camera and a bundle of cloud storage.  The downside? It will only be sold by large telecoms in Europe, Asia and the Americas.  For more on this check out the full press release.

The Plantronics BackBeat FIT is Ready for Your Workout

News & Features February 23, 2014

The Plantronics BackBeat FIT is Ready for Your Workout

We reviewed the Plantronics BackBeat and the BackBeat 2. Both stereo Bluetooth headsets impressed us with their sound, comfort and value. Now Plantronics has gone one step further and designed a light stereo Bluetooth headset that will make your workouts feel less like work. The Plantronics BackBeat FIT is impressive. It is comfortable, great sounding and ready for your workout.

LinkedIn to Open Influencer Program to All

News & Features February 19, 2014

LinkedIn to Open Influencer Program to All

LinkedIn today announced an expansion of their Influencer program that will now allow  members to create longer form posts that exceed the standard 700 characters allotted regular members. This  expanded feature now lets members to treat LinkedIn as a type of professional blog to showcase their technical knowledge. Posts become a part of their LinkedIn profile.

Nokia Adds More Value to the Lumia Line with Treasure Tags

News & Features February 19, 2014

Nokia Adds More Value to the Lumia Line with Treasure Tags

There’s no doubt that Nokia makes amazing phones. You may not like the operating system, but Nokia does a great job of bringing everything together into a very polished package. Their newest accessory is another “little thing” that makes Lumias better; the “Treasure Tag”, an NFC and Bluetooth-enabled accessory to insure you never lose your keys again.

WeMo Devices May Be Subject to Hacks

News & Features February 18, 2014

WeMo Devices May Be Subject to Hacks

According to researchers from security firm IOActive, the popular home automation product known as WeMo might be susceptible to some  surprising security vulnerabilities. IOActive says a rogue user could remotely control attached devices, install malicious firmware, and remotely monitor your activities. The firm issued a critical security advisory recommending unplugging affected WeMo products.

The Definitive Opinion on Michael Sam, Straight from Texas

News & Features February 13, 2014

The Definitive Opinion on Michael Sam, Straight from Texas

Civil rights and courage go hand in hand. It takes courage to stand up and say “I am a gay man and I play football” like Michael Sam did just last week. He’s taking a risk with his career, challenging the internalized homophobia of professional sports, and he’s getting help from an unlikely source: Dallas sports anchor Dale Hansen.

BlackBerry Aspires to Be the Porsche of Smartphones

News & Features February 13, 2014

BlackBerry Aspires to Be the Porsche of Smartphones

Interesting quote of the day from BlackBerry CEO John Chen, who is quoted as implying that apps don’t matter, that BlackBerry could be the Porsche of smartphones. Does history teach people anything? Perhaps I’ve been dozing the past two years as BlackBerry market share has completely nose-dived – largely due to a lack of applications.

First Impressions of the Lumia Black/GDR3 Update for the Nokia Lumia 928

News & Features February 12, 2014

First Impressions of the Lumia Black/GDR3 Update for the Nokia Lumia 928

I’ve overall been quite pleased with my Lumia 928 Windows Phone. In fact, almost all of my complaints are hardware and not software related (the screen is far too fragile, and the phone has some earpiece issues). What I like about the software is that it’s constantly improving, and the new Nokia Black/Microsoft GDR3 update brings some excellent new features!

Pebble Smartwatch's New App Store Coming Today

News & Features February 3, 2014

Pebble Smartwatch’s New App Store Coming Today

I like watches. It’s not as if I have a large collection of them, and it wasn’t until the last few years that I actually started taking an interest in fine time pieces. Before that, it was all about the functions … the gadget part of them, in other words.

Amazon Prime Fee May Rise By $20 - $40

News & Features January 30, 2014

Amazon Prime Fee May Rise By $20 – $40

Amazon reported  quarterly earnings today, and revenues were $25.59 billion vs expected revenues of $26.06 billion. Sales were up 20% over 2013, however Amazon missed their revenue forecast which caused the stock to decline 10.6% after hours. Even though sales increased by a healthy margin, the stock market looks to the company’s ability to meet (or exceed) revenue goals.