News & Features

Android Mobile Musicians Rejoice – IK Multimedia Accessories Now Work on Android!

IK Multimedia is coming to Android full force this year at CES! Having just announced iRig Recorder for Android, they have opened the possibilities for mobile music-making on the platform. But just having an app isn’t good enough, you need ways to get your music into the app – so now IK Multimedia has announced the compatibility of several of their accessories with Android and iRig Recorder, including the iRig MIC, iRig MIC Cast, and iRig PRE. All of those products will work well in tandem with the just announced iRig Recorder for Android, the easy-to-use recording and editing IK Multimedia app. A couple…


IK Multimedia Brings Mobile Music to Android with iRig Recorder

For me, one of the deciding negatives regarding Android has been the lack of a low-latency core audio system as is found in iOS. And while that hasn’t been solved at a system level, talented developers such of products such as FL Studio have been working on their own solutions. Now IK Multimedia takes the lead! Today at CES IK Multimedia announced iRig Recorder for Android, which allows high-definition, low-latency audio recording. The app also has plenty of built-in tools for editing and exporting your sounds, and will support IK Multimedia accessories such as iRig MIC, iRig MIC Cast and…


Linksys Introduces New 802.11ac Routers at CES 2013

I’ve always been a big fan of Linksys over the years for making reliable routers for the home.  Even though the next iteration of WiFi, 802.11ac, is still being finalized, this isn’t stopping Linksys from introducing three new routers based on a draft of the new standard.  This is similar to how the previous generation, 802.11N was introduced so it’s no surprise to me that they’d want to get the jump on the new standard. The top of the line Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Router AC 1750 HD Video Pro, EA6700 has the power user in mind.  It promises speeds up to 1300…


unu – Tablet, Game Controller, Smart TV Dock in One, Unveiled at CES

Coming a long way from the public’s first glimpse at the device, the unu tablet has been debuted at CES.  The device, called “snakebyte eins” during its production and development, has been given a new name and a warm welcome in sunny Las Vegas at CES this year.  A pre-release version of the device is playable on the conference floor throughout CES. According to the company, Snakebyte, unu is completely different from all Android-based gaming platforms currently available to the public.  And I would have to agree.  unu comes with a docking station, gaming controller, and an air mouse, which…


Dark Arcana – The Carnival HD for iPad Review

Dark Arcana – The Carnival is a Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) game for the iPad and iPhone; it is available in the App Store. It’s developer is Artifex Mundi / G5 Entertainment. Description: 48 enigmatic spine-tingling locations to visit 18 hidden object scenes to search 28 mini-games to tease your brain 21 exciting achievements to rack up Three difficulty modes to keep you guessing Bonus chapter, strategy guide and extras Game Center Support New iPad Retina Display Support Major features: In terms of hidden object games, most fall into either crime mysteries or dramatic stories involving the supernatural. By the title you…


Great Performances Looks at the Jewish Heritage of Musicals on Broadway

My wife got me tickets to see Spamalot last year, and I remember Sir Robin singing “In any great adventure, if you don’t want to lose…you won’t succeed on Broadway if you don’t have any Jews.” While I found the song a bit ponderous and over-long, it was pointed and dead on. At first it might seem like an anti-Semitic comment, but there is a huge difference between someone decrying ‘Jewish control’ or ‘Black dominance’ as some threat to Christian whites (see election 2012, Fox News, etc) … and recognizing the cultural contributions of ethnic, racial or religious groups. This…


Griffin Expands Their Audio Lineup at CES

It is always exciting to see what new gear is on the horizon during CES. One of my favorite categories is audio accessories. Whether it is new ways to create audio and music or new ways to consume it, there is always something fun and interesting being released. Griffin always has a fresh lineup of interesting devices that promise to spice up anyone’s audio gear bag. Their latest releases include a way to create music on the go and some awesome new headphones. With StudioConnect the audio in and out is simple: Audio In – Plug instrument in through a mono…


Jabra Reveals New Audio Offerings at CES 2013

Jabra has just announced a new suite of corded and wireless stereo headphones said to “elevate music and multimedia experiences to a new dimension of sound performance”. The headphones, new Jabra Revo Wireless, Jabra Revo corded and Jabra Vox in-ear earphones, are designed for “hard-wearing, every day use and portability”. Jabra’s headphones aren’t designed to be eye-candy. Rather, they are intended for real wear, real use and, in the process, real abuse. To achieve this, the Jabra Revo Wireless and Jabra Revo headphones are constructed using an aluminium frame, steel hinges and a shatter-proof, flexible headband. Similarly, the Jabra Vox…


Thanks to Our Meeting with MiPow, CES 2013 Is off to a Great Start!

It is not uncommon for CES to take some time to ramp up. In the past few years, surprises have been rare and products that grabbed our attention have been few and far between. That isn’t the case this year since, just minutes after checking into the Gear Diary suite here at the MGM Signature in Las Vegas, we had the chance to sit down with Brian Holmes, VP and General Manager of MiPow. We walked away impressed. Not familiar with MiPow? You will be, since the four-year old company is making its US debut here at CES 2013. We,…


CES News From Seagate

for 4pm One of our first meetings tomorrow is with Seagate. Each year for the past few years at CES they have had something new to share and this year looks to be no different. In fact, their announcements just went live and we wanted to give you a quick look prior to tomorrow’s hands-on. First up, the company has just announced their Seagate Wireless Plus. The Wireless Plus provides mobile storage for smart phones and tablets without the need for wires or access to the web. The Wireless Plus creates its own WiFi network and up to eight mobile…


Forks Go Connected with HAPILABS HAPIfork

CES 2013 is ready to kick into gear. Judie and Kevin arrive late today. Carly will be here Tuesday. This is my 4th CES and we’ll be busier than I can ever recall. That’s a good thing. I’m especially looking forward to wandering the show floor as there are always some unexpected treasures. I do not, however, expect this to be one of them. The HAPILABS team will be showing their new HAPIfork, the world’s first connected fork that helps you lose weight by eating at the right time and at the right pace. Yes, the world’s first ever connected…


Wilson Electronics’ New Sleek 4G Signal Booster Will Keep Your Connection Solid

If you are on the road a lot, then you know all about what it’s like to have your cellular signal act in a less than reliable manner. Watching your 4G/LTE signal drop down to zilch, then slide over to EDGE, 3G and then ultimately climb back to 4G — depending upon where you area, even though the areas are shown to have 4G coverage — is just part of using a mobile phone these days. . The same thing can happen when you are in a car, truck, boat, or any other moving vehicle. One way to combat this…


Goodbye Spin Magazine After 27 Years

Last summer, after BuzzMedia bought Spin Magazine,  it announced it was cancelling the November / December issue as part of a ‘brand evaluation’. Well … over the holidays we learned that print was NOT in fact part of the ‘moving forward’ plan, and the magazine has been killed off in favor of focusing on online efforts. Interestingly, as shown at the top, the magazine is giving out Car & Driver magazine as a replacement for current subscribers. I was intrigued as to why we were suddenly getting Car & Driver again (I had gotten a free subscription in the past that…


Mobile Fun Samsung Galaxy S III Extended Battery Kit

If you have a smartphone other than one of the Droid Maxx devices, chances are you wish it had better battery life. And as they get more and more powerful we do more and more – so any gains in power efficiency are lost by greater usage! There are battery cases available that fully cover your device and change the appearance and certain enhance the size and weight. But what MobileFun is offering is a replacement battery that adds nearly 50% to your battery capacity (from 2100mAh to 3000mAh) yet only increases the thickness by attaching directly as a replacement…


Café Cup Review

I love my Keurig coffee maker.  It’s my morning companion and has been for many years.  Sometimes, though, I have coffee I want to try that is not available as a Keurig K-cup.  While Keurig offers up an adapter that lets you use any ground coffee in a Keurig machine, my experience with it is not all too positive. Every time I’ve used it the reusable K-Cup leaks water all over the place. It is better than the wasteful K-Cups that are used once and then thrown in the trash or, more accurately, they would be if they worked. Sadly… they don’t….


Canonical Outs New Ubuntu for Phones

The New Year has barely begun, but there’s something BIG going on at Ubuntu’s parent company, Canonical!  Today Canonical has announced a version of Ubuntu for Mobile phones.  According to Canonical, Ubuntu for Mobile Phones should have this on hardware to demonstrate at CES 2013. Canonical says that the SDK has everything developers need. The interface certainly looks nice, but they have not announced hardware vendors or carriers yet.  A phone OS without hardware is pretty useless.  They say they are in talks, but they said that when they outed Ubuntu TV at CES last year, and there STILL isn’t a hardware vendor…


Bracketron Accessories Get You and Your Gear Mobile in 2013

If you resolved  to “get outside more often”, Bracketron can help. At CES 2013 the company will be revealing a line of Outdoor Sports Mobile Accessories that includes the latest line of water-resistant sport cases. Among the new offerings are a Sport Case with Belt Clip that “shields your device from sweat, rain and the elements and allows full touchscreen control for phone calls, texts and emails”. The case comes in black and camouflage, and it will make for a great review as part of Coach’s Gear Diary Outdoors series! The company is also offering a Sport Case with Strap Mount….


Best Gear Surprises of 2012

As 2012 comes to an end I thought I might take a quick look at a couple of specific gadgets that surprised and delighted me over the past year. So here a quick list of my personal “Best Gear Surprises of 2012”. MacBook Pro with Retina Display The biggest change in my gear this past year came in the form of the MacBook Pro with Retina Display. I loved using and carrying my MacBook Air but the pull of a retina display-equipped laptop was too much. I bit. So did Judie. In fact, there was a bit of back and…


2012, the Year the Netbook Died, a Eulogy

It’s been widely reported over the web that Acer and Asus are pulling out of the netbook market as of today effectively ending the netbook as a viable platform.  It says a great deal when Asus, who practically invented the netbook, has said they are done.  I write not to bury the netbook but to praise it for what it was: a great and cheap way to get things done on the web. I remember the very first netbook, the Asus EeePC 701.  It wasn’t the most powerful thing out there.  It had a 900 MHz Celeron, 7 inch screen…


Need For Speed Most Wanted DLC Released, Ultimate Speed Pack

Still need some speed? Electronic Arts delivers in impressive fashion with the Ultimate Speed Pack, which is available for download on $9.99 at PlayStation Store (PS3) and Origin (PC), and for 800 Microsoft points on Xbox Live Marketplace (Xbox 360). This Need For Speed Most Wanted downloadable content (DLC) includes 70 new “speed-themed” milestones and five amazing exclusive cars – Hennessey Venom GT Spyder, Pagani Nonla R, McLaren F1 LM, Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, Lambourgini Aventador J. Players also get 25 challenge events for each of these five cars. Players can also nab this DLC pack and Time Saver…


US Cellular Samsung Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean Update Now Available

When the Samsung Galaxy S3 arrived it had Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as the operating system. Since the release, Android Jelly Bean 4.1 launched with the Nexus 7, and more recently 4.2 Jelly Bean also arrived. While Ice Cream Sandwich had loads of great features, Jelly Bean was a smaller update – but what it brought were refinements and loads of under-the-hood updates that once used become essential. Over the last month all of the US carriers have rolled out Jelly Bean 4.1 for the Galaxy S3 … and as of yesterday US Cellular has the update available as…