Today we got confirmation that Google sold its money-losing Motorola handset business for about $3 billion to Lenovo. Google bought Motorola for $12.5 billion a couple of years ago, then sold off the set-top box unit and now the handset division. With the sale Google retains many of the valuable Motorola patents it sought initially.
Apple announced its earnings yesterday, which featured loads of record-setting device sales numbers and revenue and profit figures so high they are hard to fathom. Even Mac sales saw a significant boost while the rest of the PC industry marked another double-digit declines. The one area not even mentioned? iPod sales, which continue their decline in a no-update year.
When was the last time you called a company and could barely understand the person on the other end. There’s a good chance the person was sitting in a crowded room with other people who were also speaking, and their headset was junk. The Jabra BIZ 2300 can fix that … and it won’t cost an arm or an ear.
With much of the country in the grip of some of the coldest weather we have experienced in years I thought of one thing: Do you have to go in to work? With current technologies allowing you to work almost anywhere with no issues are snow days a thing of the past? For myself and many like me that is the case.
If you participate in the emotional vortex that is called Valentine’s Day, and you have no idea where to start looking for original and meaningful gifts this year, then you’ll want to check out Oberon Design. They have added limited editions that include copious amounts of hearts and red-drenched leather.
If you were to ask my younger son about his most elusive piece of affordable technology, it would be the M-Audio Trigger Finger from 2005. The popular controller was used by all of his favorite music producers but was discontinued. Now it is back and better than ever with the M-Audio Trigger Finger Pro announced at NAMM 2014! Here is what M-Audio is saying: Trigger Finger Pro is a fully encompassed performance instrument and software control station in the form of a portable, 16-pad (4×4 configured) instrument with onboard sequencing. Nearly a decade ago, M-Audio revolutionized the industry by introducing…
I’ve loved video game trading site Goozex for more than 7 years since it launched in 2006. Initially it grew quickly as an alternative to paltry trade-ins handed out by GameStop or the cumbersome trade mechanics of early trade-site GameTZ. Goozex acted as middleman on millions of trades, but industry shifts doomed trading and now Goozex appears closed for good.
Kerry Woo, past Gear Diary writer and current street photographer extraordinaire, has just launched his first Kickstarter project — the aptly named “Take the Long Way Home”. His goal is to “document a rich pictorial history of America’s back roads, [and] upload the images online with professional printing and direct mailing to you” while driving cross-country from Seattle to Nashville. And now, in my words: Kerry is someone who I have never met in person, but over the ten or so years that we have been communicating online, he has become a dear friend. Kerry has always had a quirky…
If you use 123456 or password as your secure password – it’s time to stop (and change passwords). According to analysis of compromised password lists by Splashid password software these are the 25 worst passwords. Some are obvious – 00000000 anyone? – others are a little more obtuse – monkey?
2K and Bethesda will offer duo packs for players who missed Borderlands 2 and Dishonored or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and BioShock Infinite for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. These treasures will cost $29.99 each (North America only) and include the base games without any downloadable content (DLC). This special team-up team will release February 11, 2014.
Technology Predictions for 2014 are here and it’s a predictable theme – new ways to offer the most popular tech. We put a lot of value in technology and media, so we don’t feel important unless we’re doing something with it…and quickly. Here are some predictions for tech trends in 2014.
I woke up to a very exciting email this morning, as it appears that Respawn and EA are opening up the highly anticipated Titanfall to a limited public Alpha test on the Xbox One console. The email invited me to apply to Alpha test Titanfall using my EA Origin account. You can apply for the Alpha yourself at Titanfall’s website.
I’m pretty jaded when it comes to laptop bags, and it’s with good reason; I’ve been writing reviews for well over 13 years, and in that time I have seen and tried everything from the completely utilitarian to the somewhat sublime. So you’ll understand my surprise that the new Travelteq Lauren was able to stop me in my tracks …
Mercedes-Benz debuted several new models at the North American International Auto Show including an all-new longer and wider C-Class powered by turbo four- and six-cylinder engines, an AMG variant of the already announced 2015 GLA45 compact SUV, the Concept S-Class Coupe that seeks sensual clarity as an expression of modern luxury and the return of the iconic S600 uber-luxury sedan.
At CES, Sharp unveiled their Universal Player, the first ever WiSA-Compliant universal player. The Sharp Universal Player is the first component to push uncompressed sound at 24-bit/96kHz and video at 1080p, all wirelessly. Sharp’s Universal Player can wirelessly transmit sound to up to 8 wireless speakers. The $4,000 component ships Spring, 2014; you can read more here.
Car audio has come a long way since the days of my cassette tape portable CD player converter. Touch screens and phone interface are almost standard. Pioneer unveiled their NEX, (Networked Entertainment eXperience) which will combine on-board features with connected services from your devices. Four navigation and one audio receiver is in the lineup. Read the release after the break. PIONEER SHOWCASES NEXT GENERATION OF NETWORK CONNECTED RECEIVERS – ENHANCING EMBEDDED FEATURES WITH CLOUD-BASED CONTENT Networked Entertainment eXperience (NEX) Interface Implemented in Five Pioneer Receivers LAS VEGAS – CES BOOTH #1201 (January 6, 2014) – Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today unveiled…
Nuance may not yet be a household name, but their software is rapidly becoming ubiquitous. Between their work with voice recognition on mobile devices and the proliferation of Dragon Naturally Speaking on the desktop, they’ve clearly become the gold standard in speech to text. Their next step? Becoming your personal assistant!
Over the last few years I have loved the moves to smaller and smaller chargign blocks for devices, which seems to be reversing as new ‘fast charge’ devices like iPad Air and Kindle Fire HDX require more power, meaning bigger blocks. So it was a welcome announcement that Scosche Launches superCUBE at CES 2014 – Smallest 12W USB Wall Charger. “Many of our customers have both Lighting and micro USB powered devices and become frustrated with how long a dedicated charger can take to power their other mobile devices,” said Kas Alves, Executive Vice President Scosche Industries. “superCUBE allows our…
It wouldn’t be CES without case manufacturers announcing new accessories for the smartphone and tablet market, and the folks at Seido are no exception. Seido has been churning out quality cases for years, going back to ye olde Palm OS days, and they are ready to protect your Galaxy Note 3, iPad, and iPhone with style!
Almost everyone carries around a smart device of one kind or another. It is great that these devices have become such wonderful tools in our lives, but how often do you need a place to set them? Scosche has announced a system of magnetic magicMOUNT device mounts for the car, home or office. Full press release after the break. LAS VEGAS – January 07, 2014 –Scosche is excited to unveil the magicMOUNT system of cradle free magnetic mounts for car, home or office. User’s simply apply the magicPLATE directly to their device and hover it over one of Scosche’s new magicMOUNTs to…
The other day the local youth bureau called asking if my kids could help an older person set up a universal remote for multiple devices – and they declined because I was the only one in our house who knew our system! This is true for millions, making it great news as Blumoo Home Audio Remote Debuts at CES 2014!