News & Features

When to Use the Command Line and When to Stick to a GUI

News & Features

When to Use the Command Line and When to Stick to a GUI

Back in the early days of computing there was DOS, and DOS used what we call a command line. A command line or shell is a text interface for interacting with your computer. Today graphical interfaces rule the day, but the command line is still useful … in fact, sometimes it might even be better. Read on for more on how to improve your computing life with the good ol’ command line. When I bought my first IBM compatible PC, as we called them back in the day, DOS was the only way to interact with the PC. We launched programs…

Plantronics Gaming Throws Down with Their New RIG Headset

News & Features

Plantronics Gaming Throws Down with Their New RIG Headset

Plantronics has a message to gamers: “If you’re into your games AND your mobile devices, we’ve got the headset for you!” The RIG headset and mixer audio system let you play interactive video games, take calls, and listen to music from your smartphone or tablet. It’s the first member of the RIG family of gaming devices, and it is coming this fall for $129.

Windows Phone and Gmail Finally Learn to Play Better

News & Features

Windows Phone and Gmail Finally Learn to Play Better

Thanks to the latest Windows Phone update, Windows Phone finally syncs properly with Gmail — bringing along all of your shared calendars and properly formatted emails. No more shredded MIME-reformatted emails! One of the common objections to Windows Phone is the lack of Google services integration. There are some obvious areas where there’s a large Google-shaped hole (the drama around the official/not official/official youtube app is an excellent example), but the biggest sticking point for me as a user of both has been the Gmail experience. However, the latest Windows Phone update has completely revamped how Gmail syncs with Windows Phone…

JOBY Goes Small With the GPod Mini Magnetic and MPod Mini Stand

News & Features

JOBY Goes Small With the GPod Mini Magnetic and MPod Mini Stand

I’ve long been a fan of JOBY’s various flexible tripod offerings. Their GorillaPods are a mainstay in my gear bag. Now JOBY has announced their new JOBY GPod Mini Magnetic and JOBY MPod Mini Stand. The GPod works with cameras. The MPod works with smartphones. Each weighs less than two ounces. Shipping soon you can learn more here.

ContourRoam2 Action Camera Accessories Video Look

News & Features

ContourRoam2 Action Camera Accessories Video Look

The ContourRoam2 action camera is a great way to catch life on the go. (We reviewed it here.)The small video camera is waterproof, tough, and it takes good video. Add in a few key accessories like a headband, universal mount, and a waterproof case, and it does even more. The ContourRoam2 action camera impressed me when I reviewed it at the beginning of the summer. The small camera is simple to use, and it will shoot video at a number of settings. Full HD » 1080p (1920 x 1080) @ 30/25fps Tall HD » 960p (1280 x 960) @ 30/25fps…

DRACOdesign ONE Aluminum Bumper for HTC One - Sexy Curves for My Favorite Android

News & Features, Reviews

DRACOdesign ONE Aluminum Bumper for HTC One – Sexy Curves for My Favorite Android

I absolutely love my HTC One. Unfortunately, it is not the most popular Android phone (even if I think it should be), so my case options have been limited to bulky, plastic, and ugly … until now. I recently received DRACOdesign’s gorgeous $79.99 ONE Aluminum Bumper, and it is now somewhat permanently attached to my phone. Here’s why … I’ve reviewed plenty of aluminum bumper cases over the years, but the majority of them were for various iPhone incarnations, and quite a few of those cases interfered with the iPhone’s antenna causing reception issues. Even so, I really like the…

My Workspace: 50 Year Old Desk Mixes Modern and Old School Tech

News & Features

My Workspace: 50 Year Old Desk Mixes Modern and Old School Tech

One of my favorite set of posts on Lifehacker is the “Featured Workspace” posts.  Your workspace is important.  It’s where things get done. Each and every workspace is different because we are all different. My workspace utilizes a 50 year-old desk and a mix of tech from old to new. Read on for more on how I have set this up. The desk is one I picked up many years ago on Freecycle.  Freecycle is a Yahoo group in our area that people list stuff for free.  This desk’s previous home was a local church here in the Columbus area,…

Plants vs. Zombies 2 Released on iOS Today!

Game Diary, News & Features

Plants vs. Zombies 2 Released on iOS Today!

Popcap and EA Games have teamed up to bring you the greatly anticipated follow-up to the original Plants vs. Zombies.  The premise of the Plants vs. Zombies series is that you’re a homeowner who is trying to defend his house against a horde of the undead.  Your weapon? Plants.  Good Luck! Plants vs. Zombies 2 is out now for free on the App Store. After a lengthy beta testing period and a soft launch in New Zealand, Plants vs. Zombies 2 is finally available to all of us Americans.  This time, instead of only defending your own home from the…

Celebrate Julia Child's 101st Birthday with a Price Reduction in the Mastering the Art of French Cooking App!

News & Features

Celebrate Julia Child’s 101st Birthday with a Price Reduction in the Mastering the Art of French Cooking App!

When I was a wee preschooler, my morning TV schedule ran from Sesame Street to Mr. Rogers, and then to Julia Child’s cooking show, The French Chef, which helped plant the seed that influenced my interest in cooking. Why do I mention this bit of minutiae? Well, it so happens that today is famed chef Julia Child’s 101st birthday, and to celebrate, Random House Digital, Inc. slashed the price of their iOS app Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Selected Recipes from $4.99 to $1.99 from August 15 through August 18! Based on Child’s acclaimed book Mastering the Art of…

eBay My Gadgets Lets You Track and Sell Your Gadgets With Ease

News & Features

eBay My Gadgets Lets You Track and Sell Your Gadgets With Ease

eBay’s new My Gadgets website lets you quickly gather all your gadgets in one place and then see just how much it is actually worth. Better still, with My Gadgets selling the items you no longer use is easier than ever! All of this is possible Thanks to eBay’s extensive database of electronics and a well-designed web portal.  Click here. Last night Judie posted about eBay’s new My Gadgets portal. As she was sharing the news, I was in Manhattan for the eBay My Gadgets Announcement Party. While there, I had a chance to talk a bit about Judie and…

eBay Launches My Gadgets, a Way for You to Catalog and Value Your Gadget & Tech Collection

Events, News & Features

eBay Launches My Gadgets, a Way for You to Catalog and Value Your Gadget & Tech Collection

If you have been keeping up with Dan’s and my eBay posts and the massive contest connected to the products we’ve reviewed, then you know that eBay has been in the process of launching their now-live site, My Gadgets, where users can “easily catalog their tech collections and see the current value of each of their tech items.”  My Gadgets helps users organize and save all of their gadgets and tech items in a single location; the idea is to make it easy for users to “view the individual and collective values” of their items, “based on eBay’s unique data on current sales…

PetziConnect Lets You Send Your Dog Remote Treats and Praise

News & Features

PetziConnect Lets You Send Your Dog Remote Treats and Praise

Petzila is rolling out the PetziConnect, a webcam and treat dispenser designed to let you interact with your pet, even when you’re not home. Hey, it beats dogTV! My dog routinely outsmarts us. He figured out long ago that he gets treats for two reasons: someone’s at the door, and we don’t want him to eat them, or we’re leaving, and we want him to go lay down on his bed and be a good boy. Bribing him when guests are over is easy since we can keep an eye on him, but the problem with the treats+leaving combo is…

MindShift Gear’s Contact Sheet - an Item Photographers Will Want

News & Features

MindShift Gear’s Contact Sheet – an Item Photographers Will Want

If you are an outdoor photographer, you may find times when you need a clean, dry place to lay out your gear. MindShift Gear’s new Contact Sheet lets you do just that. Pull out the lightweight tarp and you have a place to work anywhere you go. It is $39.99, and it is available here. MindShift Gear, a new company founded by the creators of Think Tank Photo and conservation photographer Daniel Beltrá, are ready to make a splash in the photographic accessory market. Their first accessory product (they also have two photographic backpacks available — more on them soon) is…

DataViz Protects and Syncs Your Passwords and Sensitive Info with Passwords Plus

News & Features

DataViz Protects and Syncs Your Passwords and Sensitive Info with Passwords Plus

  If you are an avid user of Documents to Go you probably already knew about some of DataViz, Inc.’s product offerings in the software office arena. One aspect that is critical to office integrity is security, and DataViz has  recently stepped up to the plate with their new Passwords Plus cross-platform password security software. Starting at $9.99, Passwords Plus works to keep passwords, PINs and related sensitive information secure from prying eyes and keep that data synched between devices. No more struggling to remember passwords or hunt through filing cabinets for password lists! It should be no secret that…

Check Out Dan's Look at the Polk Audio LSi25 Speakers - Then Enter to Win Big with eBay

News & Features

Check Out Dan’s Look at the Polk Audio LSi25 Speakers – Then Enter to Win Big with eBay

Dan loves his small wireless speakers, but the Polk Audio LSi25 Speakers may bring him back to component stereo systems. The speakers are pricey, and they require the addition of an independent amplifier, but in return they offer huge, impressive sound. Dan took a look for eBay as part of their huge My Gadgets Giveaway. As Dan points out in his post over on the eBay Influencer’s Blog, while you can get good sound from a small speaker, big, teeth-rattling, bone-shaking sound won’t come from something that can sit on a bookshelf. For that kind of sound, you’ll want something…

MUNITIO PRO40 Headphones Now Shipping

News & Features

MUNITIO PRO40 Headphones Now Shipping

In an ever-crowded headphone market, MUNITIO is looking to make its mark with the PRO40 headphones. At about $350 these headphones,which include a Bass Enhancing Chamber for powerful bass without distortion, aren’t cheap. They do, however, look to offer great sound and a quality build. You can order yours on the product page.   We got a look at Munitio’s upcoming PRO40 Headphones last January at CES 2013 and were impressed with how great they looked. We weren’t able to give them a listen at the time, but the use of 40mm titanium-coated dynamic drivers and Munitio’s tuning of the headphones promised to deliver…

Pearl Guitar Brings Realistic Sound To The iPad

News & Features

Pearl Guitar Brings Realistic Sound To The iPad

Amidio Inc. has just introduced a super realistic sounding guitar application for the iPad. No need to carry a full-sized instrument and case when on the go when you can make your iPad sound like the real thing. The $2.99 app is modeled after a 1979 Martin & Co. dreadnaught guitar complete with realistic resonance and string noise. I certainly do not own a 1979 Martin steel string acoustic guitar, but would love to. Amidio’s Pearl Guitar app is a carefully tuned replica of the classic guitar stuffed into an iPad. The sound is actually quite stunning complete with string noise,…

Instagram for Android 4.1 Update Says Package File Invalid

News & Features

Instagram for Android 4.1 Update Says Package File Invalid

I saw there was an update to Instagram for Android so I went to go apply it, as I usually would.  However, upon download completion, it says “Package File Invalid”.  So I tried to remove it and reinstall the app —  the same issue occurred.  I completely removed all Google Play Updates and cleared caches, and still … nothing.  I tried it on my tablet, and had the same issue. Because I’m having this issue on two devices, it’s obviously something else.  I checked the Play Store’s web interface, and sure enough, there are multiple reviews with the same issue for…

Levin Minneman Rudess

Music Diary, News & Features

Tony Levin is Back with a New Levin Minneman Rudess Recording!

Back in 2011 I was thrilled to review the latest release from Tony Levin, a trio set called ‘Levin Torn White’. I was impressed with every aspect of the recording, saying: aside from trying to assign genre labels, the most fitting label is ‘collaboration’. This recording is about three great musicians working together to share a vision of music with each other and with their audience. To that end they have constructed a cohesive set of statements borne out of rhythm and harmony and a passion atmosphere that is instantly communicative yet reveals more with each listen. This is a…

Twelve South HiRise for iPhone 5/iPad mini Is a Perch for Your iOS device

News & Features

Twelve South HiRise for iPhone 5/iPad mini Is a Perch for Your iOS device

I’ve seen and used a variety of different stands for my iPhone and iPad, but none have caught my attention the way the new HiRise for iPhone 5/iPad mini from Twelve South has. This brushed metal stand has the kind of refined lines that will compliment your iOS device while also adding to its utility. The HiRise is designed to work with Apple Lightning Cable, but it is a BYOC (Bring Your Own Cable) accessory. And, thanks to its thoughtful design, the HiRise works with iPhone and iPad when they are naked AND when they are in most current cases. The…