News & Features


IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik 2 Brings out the Inner Composer!

IK Multimedia released a product recently that will prove to bring out your inner composer. Miroslav Philharmonik 2 brings a concert hall full of musicians and allows them to be directed and composed on your computer. The virtual orchestra utilizes over 2700 instruments sampled in high-definition audio. Read on to get more information and check back soon for the review!




LaCie’s Rugged Mini Is Everything You’d Want in a Portable Hard Drive

I’ve had the pleasure of being able to review LaCie’s 4TB Rugged Mini, and I love it! A Portable external hard drive, the Rugged Mini is everything you saw from the original (and larger) LaCie Rugged Raid, but in a smaller design that maximizes its portability, all while giving you a nice flashy orange bumper that protects the device from being dropped. While the Larger Rugged dons both a Thunderbolt connection option, and a USB 3.0 connection which obviously connects to your computer, the Rugged Mini stuck to having just a single USB 3.0 port which sits at the top of…


Amazon Echo Now Ubers!

Beginning today you can now officially hail an Uber ride.  Connect your Uber account to Amazon Echo and you’re off and running. The functionality allows you to hail a specific class of ride , “Alexa, ask Uber to request an Uber X,”.


Amazon Echo Now Spotifies!

The Amazon Echo is probably one of my favorite new gadgets of 2015. No, actually, it is my absolute favorite gadget of 2015. And it gets better and better with new features coming pretty much every week. Today Amazon added the ability to play Spotify through it!


Urban Armor Gear iPad Pro Case Review

Not too long ago, I took a look at the composite case for my 12-inch MacBook from Urban Armor Gear. Now UAG has been kind enough so send a sample of their case for the iPad Pro. While similar in many ways, the UAG iPad Pro Case has some features unique to it. The case has a rubberized shell, similar to the corner material found on their MacBook case, but it adds a 5-position kickstand and a pencil holder into the mix, making for a very interesting offering. When I reviewed the MacBook case, I was extremely sensitive to the…



Let Vizio Be the Way You Watch Super Bowl 50 This Sunday!

With the biggest sporting event in the world, Super Bowl 50 coming this Sunday, there will be plenty of football fans across the globe attempting to host the biggest party ever for the most watched programs in American TV history. But the biggest question is: What will you be watching it on? Vizio, one of the leaders in America Smart TV’s and sound bars, know that you’ll be out in stores or online looking to find yourself the right setup. So why not commit yourself to a quality new television that will make sure it looks and sounds as if…


ZAGG Acquires Mophie and Smartphones Everywhere Rejoice

I’m a big fan of ZAGG and their ever-growing assortment of offerings to enhance your mobile lifestyle. And I’ve been using mophie battery cases since the company first appeared on the scene. Now ZAGG is acquiring mophie and extending their reach as a mobile accessory giant. The deal makes perfect sense and will, I suspect, be good for consumers too. ZAGG first came on the scene with their innovative, clear protective films for smartphones. Over the years, they have expanded their screen-protection offerings and extended their brand to include a wide assortment of battery cases, external batteries, screen protection, and tablet…


Master & Dynamic Announces Their Palladium ME05 Earphones

Most of our readers already know my love of Master & Dynamics products. Well it seems as if they just continue putting out some great products as earlier this week they announced their Palladium ME05 Earphones. The new earphones will retail at $199. Made of solid brass and then coated with the rare and durable metal palladium, the headphones feature not only a classy looking construction, but with subtle details such as the company’s beautiful logo etched into the earphones themselves. Ironically the headphones came out today, which is my birthday by chance, so I’m even more excited to get…


The ZAGG Now Cam Frees Your Photography and Videography From Your Phone

ZAGG’s been doing some interesting things as of late. I have a review of their iPhone 6 Speaker Case coming shortly and that’s just the beginning. Their latest creation is the ZAGG Now Cam. This little camera is designed to let you capture video and images without running your smartphone battery down. And that’s just the beginning! The Now Cam is actually three devices in one. It is a Social Video AND a Camera AND a Bluetooth Speaker. All that and it still costs under $130. As ZAGG explains: The Now Cam frees you from the confines of viewing life from behind…


M-Edge TrueWireless Headphones Truly Cut the Cord

While at CES 2016 we had a chance to check out the upcoming TrueWireless Ear Buds from M-Edge. These are wireless ear buds with a difference. They not only cut the cord to your device but they cut the cord between ears! For $149.99 you’ll get two separate ear buds that work in tandem. Here’s our video look!


Huawei Mate 8 Is One Thoughtfully Designed Android Superphone

At CES 2016 Judie and I both received a review sample of the new Huawei Mate 8. The large Android handset is impressive both in regard to features and design. Their PR department recently shared some of the key aspects of the device with us. In anticipation of the full review we wanted to share a few noteworthy features. 


Custom Earplugs for under $90 Thanks to Massdrop!

At CES 2016 we had the amazing chance to see Elton John in action. And while the volume at the stage wasn’t as bad as we have experienced at similar concerts it was still loud and required earplugs in order to protect our hearing. Massdrop has an amazing Drop that will get a pair of custom earplugs for under $100!


Powerstick’s Mosaic Powerstream Will Let You Have Expandable Storage

A once successful Kickstarter program, I finally had the opportunity to try out the Powerstick Mosaic Powerstream, and honestly, I have mixed reviews in regards to it. Designed to be a tool to give you more storage, the Mosaic is essentially a wireless external hard drive that will get you through a long flight by allowing you to stream your media directly through the Mosaic. The model I received is the 16gb version which means I didn’t actually stream very much. My only issue with the Powerstick Mosaic is the fact they even have a 16gb version. Now granted, not…


The iPocket Drive Could Give Your iPhone Some Added Storage

Let’s face is, if you have an iPhone, chances are you’ve come across a friend with an Android device who brags on and on (cough Judie) about how their devices have external memory that is a MUST. Well what would you say if I told you that there’s a portable USB flash drive for your iDevice that can do the same thing? The iPocket Drive is essentially an external hard drive for your photos and media. Since Apple has a firm hatred towards external memory, the best option we have in terms of external storage is expandable memory. Essentially doing…


BlackBerry Priv Now Available on T-Mobile for $719 or $30/mo

T-Mobile is now offering the Android-based BlackBerry Priv for $719 or $30/month for 24 months. Hailed as the (possible) savior of BlackBerry, this qwerty keyboard device has drawn mixed reviews. The keyboard has been welcomed by fat-thumbers. An excess of heat from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor and creaking body panels has been mentioned as negatives by a few purchasers. The Priv is available in the U.S. at AT&T and T-Mobile.


The Fugoo Style XL Speaker: Where Everything is Bigger

We review a lot of Bluetooth speakers here at Gear Diary, in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and beyond, but none quite like the Fugoo  Style XL. At $279.99, the Fugoo Style XL is certainly not the smallest speaker on the market, but it’s certainly one of the loudest, and stylish ones. If you’ve followed any of Fugoo’s other product including their popular Sports model, you know that they are notorious for creating Bluetooth speakers that are rugged and have a long lasting battery life. The Fugoo XL certainly means what they say in regards to XL as the 11.33…


Scosche boomBOTTLE+ Bluetooth Speaker Is Ready for Anything!

The original Scosche boomBOTTLE impressed me. A Bluetooth speaker built for use indoors and out, it pumped out excellent sound in every direction. And it had the added benefit of fitting into a bike’s water bottle cage! Now Scosche has released the Scosche boomBOTTLE+. It keeps a similar design and is a worthy update to an already-impressive Bluetooth speakers.