News & Features

Music Diary Notes: As Spotify Reminds Us ... $0.04 Is Infinitely More than $0.00

Music Diary, News & Features

Music Diary Notes: As Spotify Reminds Us … $0.04 Is Infinitely More than $0.00

There was considerable coverage of the content of the ‘What an artist makes’ article I did last week, with Digital Music News kicking it off, and Gizmodo and others getting in on the same action. The focus of the article was to show just how much the band would make from their album based on a variety of listening choices, from streaming through buying vinyl. The obvious fact is that the greater the cost and lower the overhead … the more the band made. One message that some have been spreading for a few years is that an outcome of…

Review: iFrogz Vertex Headphones with Mic

News & Features, Reviews

Review: iFrogz Vertex Headphones with Mic

The folks at iFrogz were kind enough to send me a set of their brand new Vertex line of headphones to check out. Will they sounds as good as they look? Follow along for a detailed look at all the features of the Vertex Headphones. It used to be that if you wanted a wired set of headphones with a mic, you were stuck using in ear or ear bud designs. Several manufactures have started adding a microphone to headphones that are not ear buds now that it’s far more common to use your phone as a music device. The…

Music Diary Notes: Survey Says - Ownership Remains Supreme!

Music Diary, News & Features

Music Diary Notes: Survey Says – Ownership Remains Supreme!

Recently eMusic contracted Insight Research Group to try to get a sense of consumer feelings about music ownership. After all, bloggers like myself are constantly crowing about MOG and Slacker and Rdio and Pandora and Spotify and … well, you get the picture. Turns out, while there is plenty of interest in streaming …when it comes to money, people want to actually OWN their content. This is good news for folks like iTunes, Amazon and eMusic … and not so great for all the streaming companies I have mentioned. Here are the conclusions: Study results show that purchasing ‘music to…

HTC Rhyme Introduced with a Family of Integrated Accessories and Sleek Good Looks

News & Features

HTC Rhyme Introduced with a Family of Integrated Accessories and Sleek Good Looks

I can’t even find it in myself to be annoyed that HTC has introduced a phone that is so obviously aimed at women; if they had just colored it plum and called it good, I would have been livid. But no. The HTC Rhyme is a phone that I would have considered carrying anyway … and the bonus is that it just happens to be a lovely plum color. From the unique plum color that draws on the inspiration from HTC’s designers to specific apps, wallpapers, and ringtones created for the HTC Rhyme, HTC Sense’s presence is seen throughout. Hardware design is taken a…

The Return of Layaway?

News & Features

The Return of Layaway?

About five years ago Wal-mart decided it was no longer going to offer layaway plans. What is layaway? Layaway works by you walking in to the store, picking what you want and going back to a layaway counter and putting a down payment on it. You then have a certain amount of time to pay it off then take it home. If you don’t pay it off, it goes back on the sales floor and you get your money refunded minus a service charge. The great ting is you don’t pay any interest like you do with credit cards….

Review: iFrogz Timbrepro Headphones with Mic

News & Features

Review: iFrogz Timbrepro Headphones with Mic

I have always loved iFrogz unique headphone designs. They are always eye-catching and usually sound pretty good to boot. They aren’t top of the line, but they are far from the worst I have ever tried. That’s why I jumped at the chance to get a set of the new iFrogz Timbrepro Headphones sent to me for a review. The general design of these is very much like some of the other headphones iFrogz has in their line that include the inline microphone for iPhone, Android and any phone that accepts a 3.5 mm jack. Where they differ are in two different design points….

Keep QuikClot on Hand, and You May Save a Life

News & Features

Keep QuikClot on Hand, and You May Save a Life

QuikClot is an emergency wound dressing loaded with blood clotting agents. You can go to YouTube and watch some extremely graphic training videos of QuikClot in action, but I suggest that you not do so if you have a weak stomach. If you are able to handle the graphic images, I’m sure that you’ll agree the results are pretty impressive. I had never heard about QuikClot until I stumbled on a recent Lifehacker post, “How to Survive a Gunshot Wound.” Yikes. QuikClot is the consumer version of a Z-Medica product that has long been used by the military, law enforcement and emergency medical…

Etón Introduces Mobius NSP300B, a Solar iPhone 4 Charging Solution

News & Features

Etón Introduces Mobius NSP300B, a Solar iPhone 4 Charging Solution

The name is a mouthful, unless you shorten it to Mobius, but the idea is simple: place a solar panel on the back of an iPhone 4, and you won’t ever need to worry about not being able to charge — assuming natural light is plentiful, of course. Differentiating itself from solar-charging solutions on the market today, Mobius features a quick charge time and the ability to store charge until you need it. The high-efficiency monocrystal solar panel re-charges the 1800 mAh rechargeable lithium ion battery pack on the back of the case. Only one hour of solar charging provides…

Using a Tablet as In-Car Entertainment? Make Sure It Is Crash Tested with ProClip USA

News & Features

Using a Tablet as In-Car Entertainment? Make Sure It Is Crash Tested with ProClip USA

I made a strategic error a few months ago. My iPad-loving father-in-law was looking for a new stand for his iPad, and I let him try the ProClip MultiStand I reviewed here. I never got it back. ProClip [affiliate link] makes some of the most impressive stands and mounts for a host of devices. Among the tablets they design for: the Apple iPad 1 & 2, the Motorola Xoom, the BlackBerry PlayBook, the Samsung Galaxy Tab and more. Now they just got better. If you are thinking about using an iPad for in-car ProClip USA has a new product for you,…

Belkin's Cooking with iPad Kitchen Accessories

News & Features

Belkin’s Cooking with iPad Kitchen Accessories

I’ve written it before and I’ll write it again, the iPhone and the iPad are like eRorschachs; the device and what it can do changes depending upon what app you are using. Want a school device? It is one. Want a good GPS? It can handle it. And the list goes on and on. And as the iPad becomes useful in more and more settings the accessories that make it even better matter more and more. Belkin understands that the iPad is a great device for the kitchen at Pepcom’s Holiday Extravaganza I got a first hand look at three…

Music Diary Notes: MOG Introduces FreePlay!

Music Diary, News & Features

Music Diary Notes: MOG Introduces FreePlay!

One of the reasons that Spotify became so popular was … well, because it was FREE. From a PC, with some ads, you could listen to just about anything you wanted to hear. Of course, over the last couple of years Spotify has dramatically trimmed their offerings for free users and put on ever-increasing restrictions to move them to paid subscribers. Now MOG has introduced a free model called ‘FreePlay’, that isn’t just better than anything Spotify has offered, it is simply a brilliant way to deal with a free usage model! Here is the announcement and details from their…

Ooma Updates and Gets Even Better

News & Features

Ooma Updates and Gets Even Better

One of the standout piece of consumer electronics I have discovered over the past few years is the Ooma phone system. The system brings an unusual business model to the business of phone service. Instead of charging a monthly fee Ooma sells the hardware that connects to your high-speed internet service and then lets you have your phone service for free. Sure they sell a number of useful accessories and there are some value-adding services to which you can subscribe (Ooma Premier is one of them and is totally worth the price) but you don’t HAVE to do so to…

Lenovo Gets Down to Business with the ThinkPad Tablet

News & Features

Lenovo Gets Down to Business with the ThinkPad Tablet

One of the big surprises for me tonight at the Pepcom Holiday Spectacular! (we’ll have much more from this event over the next few days) was the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet. The ThinkPad Tablet is the first tablet specifically designed for business settings. It has some great features, feels great in the hand and it has one more KILLER FEATURE that I’ll reveal at the end of the post. First, here’s what Lenovo has to say about their latest and greatest offering. ThinkPad Tablet Brings Android to Business: The ThinkPad Tablet combines the superior media and entertainment experience of the IdeaPad Tablet…

Do You Have a 30 Pint Goldstar or Comfort-Aire Dehumidifier in Your Home? If So, Then Read This!

News & Features

Do You Have a 30 Pint Goldstar or Comfort-Aire Dehumidifier in Your Home? If So, Then Read This!

Do you have a dehumidifier in your basement? If so, you probably put it there to protect your home from water damage, right? Well, if you own a Goldstar or Comfort-Aire dehumidifier, you need to check your model number, because you may have put yourself at risk for something even worse — fire damage. The recalled dehumidifiers were sold at The Home Depot, Walmart, Ace Hardware, Do It Best, Orgill Inc., and other retailers nationwide from January 2007 through June 2008 for between $140 and $150. They were manufactured in China. The dehumidifiers were first recalled in December 2009 following eleven incidents,…

Should I Just Etch That On A Stone Tablet For You?

News & Features

Should I Just Etch That On A Stone Tablet For You?

Look, I’ve been using a digital calendar exclusively since I bought the HP95LX back more than 20 years ago. I was never the type to carry a DayRunner or other planner, but I had great multi-purpose cases for my Newton, HP200LX, and Palm/Pocket PC devices. So I was bemused at my answer when Dan came to the Gear Diary crew and asked: Do any of you know ANYONE who uses a paper calendar? I ask because my amexcard wrote to offer me a “free” desk and pocket calendar and before I rant I wanted to check if i am offbase….

Watch Samsung Rip Off Apple AGAIN In New Galaxy S II Ad!

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Watch Samsung Rip Off Apple AGAIN In New Galaxy S II Ad!

Have you seen the commercials for the Droid Bionic? As my kids put it “it doesn’t make me want the phone, but it sure is cool’! And the Verizon Wireless iPad commercial? Yawn! It there anyone who can make a commercial for a smartphone that is as interesting and compelling as Apple? Turns out their supplier/competitor/collaborator/arch-rival Samsung is doing a pretty good job. The new commercial is called “The Way We’re Wired” Unlike Apple, there is loads of mentions of tech specs, capabilities, and so on. But similar to Apple the point is to evoke positive feelings and then link…

Are High-Energy Cartoons Rotting Your Kids' Brains?

News & Features

Are High-Energy Cartoons Rotting Your Kids’ Brains?

As a child I remember waiting anxiously for Saturday morning to watch cartoons like the Bugs Bunny / Road Runner hour. This (obviously) was well before the era of cartoon-specific channels and 24 hour programming, so our choices were far fewer. Yet even then adults said that watching that stuff was ruining our minds, that the Three Stooges was creating a culture of violence, and that Batman was infusing us with bad pun-filled expressions! According to a report from FOXNews there might be some truth – at least to the thoughts on the impact of cartoons: The problems were seen…

Hey Judie, Your Next Phone Just Called...

News & Features

Hey Judie, Your Next Phone Just Called…

Judie, forget about the Vertu you reviewed last June and are using as your daily-driver. Serously, THIS phone makes THAT phone look like… like… a Moto Razr. Behold the Æ+Y PHONE. With a price STARTING at $10,425 it is sure to impress and make pretty much every other phone feel inadequate. No, it doesn’t have the cool concierge service the Vertu offers but hey, with such fine materials, and handcrafted artistry they had to cut corners somewhere. The phone is on pre-order with a gold option also available. As the site explains, Æsir is currently taking pre-orders for the first production quantity…

MOG Music Service Adds Mac Desktop Player

News & Features

MOG Music Service Adds Mac Desktop Player

I have been happily using MOG subscription music service for a little over a month. For most of my life I have been a huge collector of music. I never thought I would quit keeping physical media, much less give up owning a copy, in favor of a streaming service. Long story short, I am in love with the service! And it just keeps getting better. The MOG staff seems to be interested in listening to, and acting on, feedback from users. One thing I had requested was a resident Mac desktop app instead of the web interface. Well, the…

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