News & Features

ALCATEL Announces Their IDOL 4 Series!

Events, News & Features February 20, 2016

ALCATEL Announces Their IDOL 4 Series!

With Mobile World Congress 2016 gearing up this week, ALCATEL is announcing their IDOL 4 series today. Attempting to capitalize on the success of the IDOL 3, the IDOL 4, and IDOL 4s smartphones, they are introducing new features such as the new Boom Key and a unique augmented multimedia experience. “The IDOL 4 series marks another milestone in ALCATEL innovation,” said Dan Dery, Chief Marketing Officer at ALCATEL. “The Boom Key boom-ifies everything, from the sound to photos to gaming. Something we’re really excited about, and something I’m eager to show my friends is that we’ve augmented IDOL 4’s multimedia…

Native Union Wants to Pair Your Phone to Its Dock!

News & Features February 17, 2016

Native Union Wants to Pair Your Phone to Its Dock!

A personal favorite company of mine, Native Union announced today their minimalistic charging line, with a host of new colors! Native Union finally announced that their popular DOCK SERIES for the Apple Watch as well as for the iPhone and iPad will now be available in a midnight blue with gold brushed metal, or a stone color with rose gold brushed metals. These new colors will completely round out the finishes to your Apple Watch or smart device when it needs to be docked to charge. Fabien Nauroy, Head of Design at Native Union comments: “Customers love our charging docks…

MiPow PlayBulb Comet Shines Hidden Light Wherever You Want

News & Features February 17, 2016

MiPow PlayBulb Comet Shines Hidden Light Wherever You Want

The MiPow PlayBulb Sphere lets you take your smart light with you. The MiPow PlayBulb Color lets your smart light also rock your tunes. The PlayBulb Comet applies the same smart lighting approach to strip lighting that can bring light under your cabinets, behind your television or, for that matter, pretty much anywhere you want. And setup is a breeze!

I'm JK, and I'm a Gear Addict

News & Features February 16, 2016

I’m JK, and I’m a Gear Addict

As the new kid on Gear Diary, let me introduce myself and explain why I’m so excited to be here. My name is James Kendrick and I’m thrilled to be the newest member of the Gear Diary family. I’ve been covering mobile tech since before tech sites existed, and I’m a self-proclaimed gadget addict.

Synology Launches Its First WiFi Router, the RT1900ac Today

News & Features February 16, 2016

Synology Launches Its First WiFi Router, the RT1900ac Today

Synology Inc., manufacturer of award-winning Network Attached Storage devices (NAS), has launched its first router, the RT1900ac, in the US. The 802.11ac WiFi router broadcasts both 2.4GHz and 5GHz signals for combined data transfer speeds of up to 1900mbps. Boasting a slew of software features, the RT1900ac is perfect for home or office and comes with an MSRP of $149.99.

Facebook Messenger Groups Introduce Valentine Picture Presents

News & Features February 13, 2016

Facebook Messenger Groups Introduce Valentine Picture Presents

Everyone loves a present, right?  So how about a nice photo wrapped in a bow and red heart paper? You can send your Facebook friends just a present if you are in a Facebook Messenger Group with them. To send the wrapped image, simply click the heart/arrow icon in the lower right corner of your chat display window. Then select an image and send.

Facebook Showing Realtime NHL Scoreboard for Check-ins

News & Features February 13, 2016

Facebook Showing Realtime NHL Scoreboard for Check-ins

I don’t think this is new. But I do think it’s pretty cool. Facebook last night showed a realtime updated score for the Kings/Rangers game that my sister was watching at New York’s Madison Square Garden.  At first I thought it was just a static score – which would have been interesting by itself. Then I went back to check the status update and noticed that not only had the score changed but the current time left for play was also updated. It appears this may have started, at least in a test version, around the time of the last…

How to "Brick" Any 64-bit iOS Device in 6 Easy Steps!

News & Features February 11, 2016

How to “Brick” Any 64-bit iOS Device in 6 Easy Steps!

The folks on Reddit have uncovered what appears to be a flaw in the iOS code which will render any 64-bit iOS device (32 bit reportedly unaffected) unusable until the battery power is removed. This flaw occurs when the internal clock of the device is manually changed back to 1970 and then the device is rebooted.

Alcatel Announces The First Windows 10 Phone for T-Mobile

Deals, News & Features February 10, 2016

Alcatel Announces The First Windows 10 Phone for T-Mobile

There have been plenty of rumors this week regarding whether or not ALCATEL would release their Windows 10 Phone at some point this week. Well it’s official. As of Wednesday, February 10th, ALCATEL ONETOUCH announced that T-Mobile will be receiving it’s first Windows 10 Smartphone in the Fierce XL, for the price of $139.99. President & General Manager for ALCATEL ONETOUCH Steve Cistulli states: “As the fourth largest mobile phone manufacturer in North America, ALCATEL ONETOUCH has continued to grow rapidly in the U.S. mobile marketplace by offering consumers the perfect amount of more when it comes to their mobile…

IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik 2 Brings out the Inner Composer!

News & Features February 9, 2016

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

News & Features, Reviews February 6, 2016

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!

News & Features February 5, 2016

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!

News & Features February 4, 2016

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

News & Features, Reviews February 4, 2016

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…