News & Features

Have You Had to Exchange Your iPhone 5 for Warranty Issues?

A couple weeks ago, I realized that my iPhone had stopped taking clear photos. Shots that I would ordinarily have taken and expected to be good were now coming out fuzzy and unfocussed. It was pretty obvious that my iPhone 5’s camera had a problem, but it wasn’t clear why. Knowing that I’d be joining him and the other editors at his lake house for GearFest soon — and knowing that I didn’t have a nearby Apple store — Dan told me to send him my iPhone, and he’d take it to the Apple Store for them to check out….

News & Features

On-Ear Headphone Shootout – Which Wins for Comfort and Sound?

Dan and I are taking advantage of our time together at GearFest, our annual editors’ gathering, by doing a blind test of which on-ear headphones we think feel and sounded the best. What we have available to try are four different pairs of headphones that Dan had reviewed — the BlueAnt EMBRACE Stereo Headphones ($199.99), the Jabra Revo Wireless Headphones ($249), the Phiaton PS300 NC Premium Noise Cancelling Headphones ($299), and the Monster Tuxedo DNA Headphones ($229.95). I was the first guinea pig in the chair. The rules were no peeking, and not to touch the headphones other than for minor adjustments. You can…

News & Features

Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Repeater Review

I’m writing this review from Dan’s lake house in Pennsylvania, where Gearfest 2013 is about to kick off. That bit of geographic detail is important for two reasons. First, when I arrived here yesterday, it was the first time in weeks that I had reliable internet service, as I recounted in this post, I’ve been battling the rural Texas connectivity fight and losing badly. No internet has meant very little posting. More to the point in this review, no internet has meant that I had no way to test out the Amped Wireless repeater I’d been sent to review. After all,…

News & Features

Skooba Design Introduces New Mini Checkpoint-Friendly Bag for Subcompact Laptops

If you travel a great deal, then you know that small things can make a huge difference during a journey. For example, getting through security quickly can mean the difference between starting a trip stressed out or feeling relatively relaxed. That’s where Checkpoint-Friendly bags come in handy. These bags allow you to move through the security screening without having to go through the hassle of pulling your laptop out of your bag and laying it in a separate bin. And while remove-screen-replace may not SOUND like a big deal, each item with which you need to deal during the chaos…

News & Features

What a More Realistic Barbie Doll Might Look Like

Take a look at the modern Barbie doll that Nickolay Lamm of MyDeals.com created; she’s the one on the right, in case you couldn’t tell. It’s been said before that if a human being had Barbie’s proportions, she would be about 5’9″ tall with a 39″ bust, and an 18″ waist. That living doll would have 33″ hips, she’d wear a size 3 shoe, and she would weigh 110 pounds. Those measurements are not at all realistic if you are a human being rather than a product made of molded plastic body parts.

News & Features

Wilson Electronics’ 21st Century Tech Survival Kit

Wilson Electronics recently featured their electronic/technology products in a specially packaged “21st Century Survival Kit”. Gear Diary has tried Wilson Electronic products before, especially in emergency situations, and I recently tried out the six items in this well-chosen package – a great guide as you shape your own emergency tech kit. This 21st Century Survival Kit considers communication and sustenance ranging from minor snafus to major disasters to help yourself and others while communicating vital information to first responders. “We began thinking about what has changed in technology and society, and how that would affect what we would want to…

News & Features

NHTSA Release New Traffic Safety Facebook Game

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants you to stay safe this holiday weekend and looks to reach a wide audience with their traffic safety messages through their new Memory-type game “Buzzed. Busted. Broke.” now on Facebook. Players choose a difficulty (easy, medium, or hard), then click panels on a board to match pairs and win. The game is a new twist on the familiar photo match game — except in this version, all the images are related to buzzed driving, which gets players thinking about possible scenarios involving alcohol intoxication and drunk driving. THe NHTSA collaborated with Play…

Crowdfunding, News & Features

Introducing the Perfect Pitch Golf Mat – Portable Practice for Perfect Shots

When I was in college, I had a roommate that worked at a golf course, so naturally we played a lot. Between student specials and free golf after he got off work, I played around three or four rounds of golf a week. Playing golf is often a great method to keep your frustration and anger levels down. There are so many skills needed for a variety of situations, and most players spend their entire lives chasing the perfect round. For young players, hitting off the tee is about all they work on. You have to impress everyone with that…

News & Features

Monster iSport Freedom Bluetooth Headphones are The Perfect Wireless Workout Companion

While in New York for a CE Week event last week, I had a chance to spend some time at the Monster headphones booth. While there, I saw the Monster Inspiration Active Noise-Canceling Headphones which Judie had reviewed and loved. (Read the review.) The White Tuxedo Monster DNA Headphones I reviewed were also on display. (Read my review.) There were also a pair of strikingly bright headphones that caught my eye; these were the upcoming iSport Freedom headphones. The iSport Freedom headphones are Monster’s first-ever on-ear wireless headphones. The iSport Freedom headphones are water-resistant, anti-microbial and sweat proof. Inside the…

News & Features

Start Dipping Your Cookies in Milk the Civilized Way with the Dipr

Surely one of the best known images representing the simple pleasures of childhood must be dipping cookies in milk. My sister and her friends were avid practitioners of the art, but I never took a shining to the practice myself. The whole dipping one’s cookie and often fingers into milk just seemed messy and uncivilized, just too reminiscent of early teething toddlers sticking formerly useful household objects into their gooey, slavering maws. The horror! Thankfully, the march of civilization continues, and with that march has emerged the Dipr, the first utensil specifically designed to allow for tidy dipping, eating and enjoying…

Game Diary, News & Features

‘The Shadow Sun’ iOS RPG Hits Beta, Will Release This Summer

I have previously written about the upcoming epic action-RPG from Ossian Studios ‘The Shadow Sun’. Ossian developed the best ‘Premium Module’ for the original Neverwinter Nights, one that introduced the concept of a personal citadel amongst other things. They also produced the only ‘Adventure Pack’ for Neverwinter Nights 2, and are now seeking to produce the first original true-RPG experience for the iPad that will appeal to hardcore gamers and more casual players alike. ‘The Shadow Sun’ has been delayed for some time to focus on the iPad experience and other details, but Ossian has now announced that the game…

News & Features

USB Fever Introduces Aluminum Bluetooth Keyboard For iPad

I am approaching one year since my MacBook Pro took ill and departed. Rarely was there a day that laptop was not seen with me at work, on trips or even while hunting. Due to economic challenges I was not able to replace the computer so I moved to using an iPad as my primary mobile device. I have found that almost everything I need to do can be accomplished on my iPad. I have also discovered that the use of a Bluetooth keyboard is a must. I currently use the Apple Bluetooth keyboard that I keep in my gear…

Gear Bits, News & Features

Tired of Waiting on Hold? Try Get Human’s Call-Back Feature to Have Them Call You Back!

GetHuman.com has always been a favorite website of mine for getting in touch with organizations with annoying telephone menu systems or extremely long hold times. Earlier today, I was trying to contact United Airlines regarding my upcoming honeymoon to Hawaii and was told that I would have to wait 45 minutes for the next available agent. After hanging up the phone in frustration, I decided to check out Get Human and see if there was an alternate number I could call. Unfortunately, there were no alternate numbers to reach an operator faster, however, I noticed for the first time a…

News & Features

iLuv Gets You Connected with a Host of New Cables

Cables aren’t all that exciting but they are an important part of any mobile life. iLuv recently announced a new line of cables that will help make sure your myriad devices stay charged and in sync. As the company release notes, they offer “an abundance of new power and cable accessories, complete with more Lightning products and colorful options suitable for all users”. Let’s run down the new products. The iAD1517 Wall Charger w/ Lightning Connector This Lightning wall charger: Quickly charges iPhone, iPod and iPad Has an integrated Lightning cable for new iPhone 5, iPod and iPad models Offers…

News & Features

The New HTC 8XT Windows Phone Rocks HTC BoomSound

The HTC 8X is a terrific Windows Phone. I have one in hand and it looks and feels great. The just-announced HTC 8XT takes things up a notch or two and is coming this summer. The HTC 8XT is one of the first Windows Phone 8 smartphones to be available on the Sprint network and it is the very first to feature dual front-facing stereo speakers. The phone sports great sound thanks to HTC BoomSound, has an advanced camera that incorporates all of HTC’s camera expertise and it has HTC’s now-iconic design. HTC BoomSound is a big deal. As the…

News & Features

Stuffbak Reminds Me What Life Was Like in 2006

This morning I woke up to an email from Stuffbak. If you’ve never heard of them, they were a company that was quite popular in the Palm/Windows Mobile dominant mid-2000’s, and their pitch was fairly simple: they’d send you a label with an 800 number and serial number to stick on your valuable electronics. This way if they were lost or misplaced, a good samaritan could call the number, Stuffbak would arrange shipping to return the item to the owner, and the finder received a $20 reward from Stuffbak (and the owner could increase that at their discretion). It was…

Game Diary, News & Features

Beamdog Loses Rights to Publish Baldur’s Gate as Legal Issues Proceed

I love Baldur’s Gate and feel that Overhaul Games did a great job with the ‘Enhanced Edition’, but sadly today we have learned that what feels like an eternal struggle around the publishing rights around Baldur’s Gate and Dungeon & Dragons has erupted again and has resulted in the game being removed from the App Store and other places that had it for sale. Here is the official word from company president Trent Oster: Dear Friends of Baldur’s Gate, We recently removed Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition from sale on Beamdog and the Apple App Store. We’ve taken this step at…

News & Features

Shutter Release Grip and Remote Shutter Release Make iPhone Photography Even Better

While I do own a decent DSLR and love to use it, the best camera you can use is the one in your hand. Most of you have heard that phrase, and it is true. Obviously no image can be captured if there is no camera to see it. These days almost everyone has a camera with them in the form of their cell phone; I have an iPhone 5, and I have become pretty proficient at creating amazing images using it. From understanding controls to a great post image workflow, the iPhone can take some pretty stunning pics. With…

News & Features

Soundfreaq Sound Step Lightning Offers Multiple Ways to Connect to Your Music

If you are looking for a small speaker that gives you maximum flexibility, then you will want to check out the new Sound Step Lightning from Soundfreaq. The Sound Step Lightning not only lets you dock your Lightning-equipped iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, but it also offers the flexibility of Bluetooth wireless connectivity. The speaker features a 2.1 speaker configuration with a dedicated sub-woofer and Soundfreaq’s proprietary UQ3 spatial sound enhancement. The result is the ability of the speaker to “deliver natural bass and stereo separation, unique for a compact speaker”.

News & Features

Why Settle for a Stationary Hot Tub When You Can Set Sail with the HotTug?

Hot tubs. A lot of people seem to really like them. Hot tubs are great for relaxing and letting the troubles of the day melt away, but they have one big drawback: they are immobile. That means while you are relaxing in your hot tub and looking around, you will be looking at the same scenery time and time again. Seems to me that might get boring after a while. Why settle for locational ennui, when some clever designers in the Netherlands have developed a way to enjoy your hot tub AND get new vistas each and every time? Introducing…

News & Features

Wrap Yourself in Protection with the Insect Shield Outdoor Blanket

I enjoy working outdoors, camping, hiking, taking the family on picnics, not to mention toil in my garden. What I dislike however, is the hordes of mosquitoes, fleas, chiggers and ticks that lurk in the outdoors. They are there… waiting, just waiting to set their little vampiric jaws or proboscises upon me. Let’s face it…Nature itches! If biting and itching from these pests wasn’t bad enough, many of these itty bitty annoyances can carry a variety of serious diseases. All that can make a summer evening sitting around a campfire or an outdoor vacation much less enjoyable. The folks at…

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