News & Features

HDTV Shopping, What’s Necessary and What’s Hype?

Sarah and I are HDTV shopping (our old TV is the size of a coffee table and weighs as much as my first car). I understand the basics of HDTV like 720p vs 1080p. But when you get into features like Smart TVs, and when you look at the price difference between buying, say, a Samsung TV versus a Vizio, what’s worth considering and what’s just hype? I was lost, so I turned to the experts at Gear Diary for some HDTV shopping advice and tips: Joel McLaughlin My take on HDTV Shopping? My next TV I will not look at whether it’s…

Events, News & Features

ASUS PadFone Infinity Is a Phone and Tablet in One

During the first day of MWC, ASUS showed off a number of new products. The ASUS PadFone Infinity is a powerful quad-core, LTE-equipped smartphone and redesigned tablet into which it docks. The tablet looks like any old tablet from the front but, flip it over and you’ll see that its brains actually come from the companion phone docked into it. The phone portion of the ASUS PadFone Infinity is a 5″ 1080p handset with a Snapdragon 600 processor. The phone runs Android 4.2, weighs 141g and has a 2400mAh battery. With 2GB of RAM, the phone will be offered with 32GB and…

Events, News & Features

ASUS Fonepad is a Supersized Phablet

I’m still kind of smitten with the Samsung GALAXY Note 8, but the ASUS Fonepad looks kind of tasty as well. The ASUS Fonepad is a 7″ Android tablet running Android 4.1.2. Like the GALAXY Note 8, the ASUS Fonepad can also function as a phone. (That functionality may not be available in all markets and all carriers. We will see how that plays out once the device begins shipping.) Now let’s admit that Judie looks kind of silly holding this 7″ tablet to her head as a phone. She wouldn’t be seen dead doing so in real life and neither…

News & Features

Melitta Pour Over 1 Cup Brew Cone Review

I love my Keurig. It’s my morning companion almost every day. A cup or two of coffee and I head out the door to work. Once I get to work, I also get another cup or two of coffee while I read through my e-mail. Well, recently I had to move offices from one building to another. In my new work place, the cost of the coffee club was more than the old place and it didn’t include sweetener and creamer. So, I decided I needed to go on my own with the coffee and spotted one of these Melitta Pour Over…

Events, News & Features

Huawei Ascend P2 has Speedy 4G LTE

When choosing a smartphone these days one of the key “features” worth considering is speed. After all, with smartphones now serving as powerful on-the-go pocket computers having a fast, ever-present connection is key. The Huawei Ascend P2 promises just that. Judie went hands-on at Mobile World Congress. Here’s a look. The company is calling the Ascend P2 the “World’s Fastest 4G LTE Smartphone”. It features a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor and LTE Cat 4 that can offer speeds of up to 150 Mbps. The phone is just 8.4mm thick and sports a 4.7″ IPS HD in-cell touch display. Of course…

Events, News & Features

PowerSkin PoP’n Pop on Power Battery Charger Pops on the Power

When I first saw the PowerSkin PoP’n Pop on Power Battery Charger (say that one five times fast!!) I didn’t think much of it. To me it looked like a clunky means of doubling your iPhone 5’s battery. Judie disagreed. Now that Judie saw and handled the PowerSkin PoP’n Pop on Power Battery Charger at MWC I have to admit she was right and I was wrong. Yes, the PowerSkin PoP’n Pop on Power Battery Charger is actually a rather ingenious way to quickly and easily double your smartphone’s battery charge. The PowerSkin PoP’n Pop on Power Battery Charger holds…

Events, News & Features

SpareOnePLUS Emergency Mobile Phone is Ready for Any Disaster

I sure wish I had had the SpareOnePLUS after SuperStorm Sandy took out most of the power in my area last fall. Sure, Elana and I had charged up all of the eternal batteries we had on hand and immediately went into “smartphone power conservation mode”, but the SpareOnePLUS Emergency Mobile Phone would have made our smartphone-worries disappear. Judie got her hands on one last night during an event at Mobile World Congress. Let’s take a closer look. SpareOnePLUS Emergency Mobile Phone gets its power from a single AA battery. So long as it is in range of a GSM cell…

News & Features

Samsung GALAXY Note 8.0 – It’s a Handful!

For the past few weeks I’ve been using a Samsung GALAXY Note 2 on and off. I’ve been quite surprised how impressed I am with the huge phone/diminutive tablet. Sure, it’s a bit too large and clunky to really qualify as a phone but, after using it for a while, it actually doesn’t seem overly large. It has a huge beautiful screen and I am absolutely wowed by the S-Pen. Mike didn’t love the Note 2 and was critical of the limited number of apps that work with the included pen. I’m not nearly as troubled by it. No,…

Events, News & Features

HP Slate7 Marks HP’s Return to the Tablet Market

HP’s journey into tablet-dom didn’t turn out all too well the first time. Sure their tablet running WebOS gained some traction, but that was only after they dropped down to fire sale prices. Well Mobile World Congress in Barcelona just saw HP announce their return to the tablet market. This time out HP is going with the time-tested Android operating system and the budget price of just $169. Will they have a winner on their hands? Only time will tell. The HP Slate7 promises to be an affordable Android Jelly Bean tablet sporting a sweet spot 7″ diagonal screen. Designed…

Game Diary, News & Features

Avadon 2 The Corruption Prepares to Bring Epic Fantasy RPG Back to the iPad

Spiderweb Software brought us the first full-scale, hardcore RPG with Avadon: The Black Fortress, now Jeff Vogel with the announcement of Avadon 2 The Corruption prepares to bring epic fantasy RPG back to the iPad! The game is the middle of the planned Avadon Trilogy, and you return to the Black Fortress as a spy and warrior fighting those who are the enemies of Avadon. Your word is law and your power is great, but your foes are powerful as well and you will need to use all of your skill and cunning to thwart the threat. In Avadon 2:…

Game Diary, News & Features

Ultima Forever Quest for the Avatar Gets a First Video Preview

There are classics, and then there are CLASSICS … and Ultima IV is one of the absolute classics in all of gaming. I have played it several times through the years, but owing to age and technology changes it is a difficult game for younger gamers to really enjoy. Now it is coming back as Ultima Forever Quest for the Avatar, launching on iOS in the spring of 2013. We have known about the game for a while, but now we get some first looks and a video sneak peek! Much of the classic Ultima world is maintained, though now…

News & Features

Chromebook Pixel – A Bad Idea?

Chromebooks have been a bit of a mixed bag for many people. Some users love the idea of a lightweight, browser-focused operating system, and others feel like a computer that just runs browser apps is a waste of money. When Chromebooks occupied the $199-$300 space, they fit a niche as a lightweight “secondary machine”. Yesterday Google branched out in a shocking new direction, announcing the touchscreen, high-resolution, Chromebook Pixel. A touchscreen Chromebook is big news all by itself, but the price is really generating buzz. At $1,299 for the WiFi model, is Google overestimating the appeal of ChromeOS? The Gear…

Game Diary, News & Features

PlayStation 4 Console Announced – Will ‘Radically Customize Technology’

Sony announced the PlayStation 4 will be released for the holidays 2013. This announcement event was held in New York. Presenters included Andrew House, president and group chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. then Mark Cerny, PS4 lead architect; and finally David Perry, co-founder of Gaikai. Sony’s current console, the PlayStation 3, was released in 2006. Cerny mentioned that Sony began seriously envisioning the PlayStation 4 (PS4) in 2008 and wants to “radically customize technology”. The PS4 will feature an enhanced GPU, a x86 processor with eight CPU cores, and 8GB of RAM memory. PS 4 games will be…

News & Features

FCC Cellular Signal Boosters Certification Specifications Adopted Today

I’ve made no secret of the fact that if it weren’t for the Wilson Electronics AG Pro 75 Celluar Signal Booster, mobile phone service at my house would be pitiful; we would have likely had to incur the (possibly substantial) expense of putting in a landline. I live outside a rural community and in the middle of a ranch; you could argue that poor signal is the price Kev and I must pay for being able to enjoy the great outdoors, and perhaps you would be right. But what about people like Dan, who live in the middle of an urban…

Events, News & Features

Oscar Weekend!

The Academy Awards…I mean the Oscars are here. Get ready for a film filled Oscar weekend! The 85th Oscars ceremony occurs this Sunday, February 24, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood televised live on ABC beginning at 5:30 p.m., PT / 8:30 p.m., ET. Seth MacFarlane (Ted, Family Guy) will host as the stars squirm in their seats as viewers celebrate an exciting year in film. Nominees will be sitting much closer to the stage as producers plan a Hollywood musical theme based on the recent resurgence in the past decade beginning with Chicago plus several surprises. Here are my…

News & Features, Reviews

Kogan Agora Smart TV HDMI Dongle Review

The Smart TV age is among us, and while many new TVs are being equipped with “smart” features, it doesn’t help you if you already have an excellent HDTV in your living room. This is where devices like the Kogan Agora Smart TV Dongle step in. Featuring an HDMI connector on one end, a USB on the other, microSD and USB port on the side, the dongle is meant to bring your TV up to speed with streaming media and web surfing on the big screen. Included in the box is the Smart TV dongle, a short HDMI extension, IR…

News & Features

Best Buy to Keep Price Matching Policy Permanently

Over the holiday shopping season, Best Buy had announced that they would price match not only to local brick and mortar stores, but also to online retailers including Amazon, NewEgg, TigerDirect and Buy.com (now Rakuten.) However they have now announced that they will retain this price matching policy permanently in an attempt to stop the practice of “showrooming.” “Showrooming” is when consumers visit a brick and mortar store to check out items, especially electronics, and then leave the brick and mortar store and make their purchase online instead, seeking less expensive prices on the same items. To help consumers…

News & Features

New HTC One Becomes HTC’s Flagship Android Device

This morning, HTC introduced its latest flagship device, the New HTC One. This is not to be confused with the HTC One that was introduced at Mobile World Congress last year, as this is the New New HTC One. All kidding aside, the New HTC One looks to be an impressive bit of kit. It will have a 4.7” 1080p screen, a zero-gap aluminum unibody, and new HTC innovations including BlinkFeed, HTC Zoe and HTC BoomSound. The New HTC One will have a 1.7GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600, quad-core processor, 2GB RAM and either 32GB or 64GB ROM; it will run Android Jelly Bean. The capper is…

News & Features

MoviePass Android App Available

Movie fans get their own golden reward as the Academy Awards (a.k.a. Oscars) quickly approach. A special service called MoviePass has expanded to Android mobile device users. This theatrical movie subscription service, which began as an iOS app, offers unlimited tickets at nationwide movie theaters (2D shows only) beginning at $30 a month. The MoviePass Android app is free and represents part of the MoviePass membership. There are no blackout dates for theater viewings. The single monthly MoviePass membership price ranges from $29.99 to $34.99 depending on location. You may not be able to try this service before the Oscars…

News & Features

Waterfield’s Ultimate SleeveCase Keeps Your Microsoft Surface Safe

If you have jumped into the Microsoft Surface’s world of computing you’ll want to check out Waterfield SFBag’s Ultimate SleeveCase. Waterfield’s Ultimate SleeveCase will keeps your Microsoft Surface Safe. I’m a long-time fan of Waterfield’s various sleeves and have used them on pretty much ever device I have owned in the past few years. (And if you read the site you know that is a fairly large number!) I haven’t taken the leap into MicroSoft’s latest pool but Chris G has. You can read his most recent post on the MS Surface here. If, like Chris, you have a Surface…

News & Features

The Sonos PLAYBAR Soundbar Brings Big Sound to Your Home Theater

As expected, Sonos has just introduced their new Playbar Soundbar and, yes, as a huge Sonos fan I ordered one. You might recall that I first ordered my Sonos system a mere hours after receiving a loaner review sample. I hooked up the Sonos system, downloaded the iOS app, turned it on and was blown away. I loved the sound. I loved the convenience. I loved the ability to control each speaker and stream pretty much any music I wanted to it. I was bit by the Sonos bug and ordered two Plat:5s. Since then my ‘collection” of Sonos components…

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