Reviews

Spigen SGP Leinwand Leather Case for Apple iPad mini Review

The Spigen SGP Leinwand Leather Case for Apple iPad mini is the company’s high-end case for the iPad mini. Made from gorgeous full grain leather, it is constructed without any sewing, it is handmade, and it has a soft microfiber interior to keep your iPad mini safe and secure. The Spigen SGP Leinwand Leather Case for Apple iPad mini comes in three colors, and has an MSRP of under $75. Let’s take a close look at the case in both pictures and on video so you can decide if this is the best case for your iPad mini. The full…

Reviews

Newer Technology Power2U AC/USB Wall Outlet Review

Yesterday I posted the first in a series of posts on the “Aftermarket Smart Home”. In this series of posts we will look at some of the current offerings that let you add smart home functionality to your abode without hard-wiring permanent solutions into the walls. In this post we’ll look at an item that, while not a smart home product, does help your home become a bit “smarter”. This is especially important since anything that goes into an aftermarket smart home may not require hard-wiring, but it will require power. The focus of today’s review — the Newer Technology Power2U AC/USB…

Reviews

Twelve South BookArc for iPad and iPad Mini Video Review

Twelve South’s tagline is “We’re not just Mac friendly– we’re Mac only!”. They mean it. Each and every one of their products is designed to work with a specific product or family of products from Cupertino. That, in turn, means that each and every time Apple releases a new product line, you can expect to see new products added to Twelve South’s ever-growing portfolio. Case in point — the iPad mini. The release of the iPad mini meant the company began offering scaled-down versions of their iPad products. That’s why they released the BookBook for iPad mini, and it is why…

Music Diary, Reviews

Miles Davis Quintet Live In Europe 1969 The Bootleg Series Vol. 2 Review

I have already complained about Sony for releasing so much posthumous Miles Davis material, but it is really a joke: because what they have been giving us isn’t gratuitous, but rather restored and wonderfully packaged discoveries or items previously only found on low-quality bootlegs. That was true of the 1967 Bootleg Volume 1, which made my ‘best of 2011’ list. And it is every bit as true of their latest release, Miles Davis Quintet Live In Europe 1969 The Bootleg Series Vol. 2. Let’s take a look! Musical Genre: Jazz Where to buy: Amazon MP3 Store Artist: Miles Davis Quintet…

Reviews

Google Keep Review – Neat Freaks Need Not Apply

Yesterday Google launched a new service called Google Keep. After playing around with it a bit last night, I have a much better idea of what it can and can’t do, and what it really is. Will it be good enough to replace Evernote? Is it even close? In a word, no. Google Keep Phone Interface The phone interface is reminiscent of the Google Now interface; each note appears as a card. There’s a Multi-column view and a single column view. Across the top is the bar you interact with to add notes. tap the note to create a note, the…

Reviews

HEX Cabana Sonic Backpack Review – Lets You Carry Your Gear in Style

A few weeks ago we looked at the HEX Cabana Messenger Bag. (Read the review.) It offered an unusual pocket for accessing your iPad on the go, and it mixed purposeful gear transportation with casual style. It was a nice bag that, while not my style, I could see many others enjoy using. (Keep an eye out for our upcoming “bag-a-day giveaway”; the HEX Cabana Messenger Bag will be one of the bags we offer up!) This time out, we are looking at another member of the HEX Cabana Collection. The HEX Cabana Sonic Backpack is a light, casual backpack…

Reviews

Twelve South PlugBug World Review

It’s become a yearly occasion that in late February I’ll attend Mobile World Congress, and as a result I now have a yearly ritual of assessing my charger and adapter stockpile about a month before leaving. This year I traveled with a new tool in my arsenal, the Twelve South PlugBug World. What sets this charger/adapter apart from all of the others I own is that it plugs into the stock MacBook Pro power block, and it includes a built-in high-power USB charger that is perfect for quickly topping off my iPad mini. The fact that it can be configured…

Reviews

Jabra Vox Earbuds Review

Last week we reviewed Jabra’s new Revo Wireless Headphones. (Read the review.) These on-the-ear headphones are comfortable, durable and sound terrific. Jabra is also releasing a corded version of the Revo headphones as well as the upcoming Jabra Vox in-ear corded earphones. For those who prefer headphones that sit in your ear rather than on or around them, the Jabra Vox earbuds may be a terrific option. Let’s take a closer look. The Jabra Vox earbuds come in a yellow and black box, which presents the Jabra Vox earbuds in a nice, albeit not terribly high-end, manner. Inside the box…

Reviews

Targus Touch Pen for Windows 8 Review

Let’s face it, most of us who have become adept at using smartphones and tablets have become quite accustomed to using our fingers as the primary input devices. Microsoft took note of this and enveloped Windows 8 in something of a hybrid interface to permit this on touch-capable devices. Right now I’m running Windows 8 Pro on a 16″ Dell XPS 1640 laptop I configured back in 2009. In my position as one of my company’s two IT admins and software tester, I need to keep abreast of the latest OS technologies, so I took the plunge and put Windows…

Reviews

PowerSkin Battery Case for iPhone 5

We’ve looked at a few battery cases for the iPhone 5 in the past few weeks and today we’re putting the PowerSkin Battery Case for iPhone 5 to the test. The very fact that so many battery cases are available for the iPhone 5 is a good indication of the ongoing issue created by battery technology not keeping pace with the power and screens on today’s smartphones. Yes, for any of us who make serious use of our smartphones an external battery or battery case is a must. So lets jump in and take a look at the PowerSkin Battery Case…

Reviews

Mophie Juice Pack Air for iPhone 5 Review

Over the past couple of weeks we’ve looked at a number of different solutions for keeping your iPhone 5 up and running; we’ve looked at the PoP’n Charge battery, the mophie juice pack helium, and, most recently, reviewed the PowerSkin Battery Case for iPhone 5. This time out we are going to take a look at another battery case from mophie and then, in the next few days, offer a side-by-side compare and contrast of these different solutions. The mophie juice pack air for iPhone 5 is a familiar case to anyone who has used any of mophie’s juice pack battery cases. The formfitting mophie juice…

Reviews

Simple Bracket for iPhone Review

iPhone and iPad apps for anyone on a budget. Nothing over $.99! It’s March, and you know what that means! I am not referring to the impending spring season or melting of the snow in the north. Yes, the birds are chirping and the time change means the sun stays high a little later for us all, but there are more important things that happen in March. Sunday, the bracket was announced for the March Madness tournament; 64 NCAA Div. 1 basketball teams will enter the tournament with an equal shot to be crowned this year’s national champion. There are favorites, but every…

Reviews

Beyzacases Aston Martin iPhone Sleeves Review

Gorgeous. That’s the word Judie and I seem to always use when describing Beyzacases products. And why do we use the word “gorgeous”? Simple… they are. Beyzacases uses only the finest leather for their products and then painstakingly design and craft their wares. The result are some of the finest leather accessories on the market. The Beyzacases Aston Martin iPhone Sleeves are no exception. In fact, they are not only gorgeous but they are exceptionally functional as well. We walked away from our time at the booth during CES with two Beyzacases Aston Martin iPhone Sleeves for review. Review them…

Reviews

Just Mobile Slide Stand for iPad and iPad mini Video Review

Whenever I am on the computer, my iPad is always within reach. More than that though, the iPad is open and, most of the time, on. You see, when I am on my computer, my iPad serves as a secondary screen allowing me to keep track of things that would otherwise clutter my computer desktop while I work. Having a good stand is key to making this work, and one thing that makes a stand qualify as “good” is it having the ability to offer various viewing angles. That’s why the Just Mobile Slide Stand for iPad and iPad mini…

Reviews

Just Mobile Gum Max Duo Video Review

External batteries are a necessity when using a smartphone, and it stands to reason that the bigger the battery the more time you can spend away from a plug. When we went to CES 2013 in January, Judie, Carly and I brought multiple external batteries. For the first CES ever, we didn’t run out of fuel or go running for a plug half way through the day. Among my battery “arsenal” were a few of Just Mobile’s Gum series of backup batteries. I loved the look, feel and build of them, but I didn’t love only being able to charge one…

Game Diary, Reviews

Super Stickman Golf 2 for iOS and Android Review – Download it Now and Thank Me Later

Did you download it yet? What are you waiting for? Fine, I’ll tell you a little bit about the game, first. Super Stickman Golf 2 for iOS is the highly anticipated sequel to the extremely popular, award-winning title of the same name from developers Noodlecake Studios. The series, on the surface, plays like a golf game where the goal is to hit a golf ball into a cup on a putting green in the fewest amount of strokes possible. However, deep down, the game is truly a 2-dimensional physics puzzle game where you must figure out the shortest possible path…

Reviews

Jabra Revo Wireless Headphones Review

I offered a first look at the Jabra Revo Wireless Headphones last week. We now have a firm price and shipping date- they will be available starting March 25th and will cost $249- so I wanted to offer up a more complete look at these rather pricey headphones. I covered a good bit of the initial ground in my ‘First Look’ post (read it) so I’ll try not to be redundant. As I noted, the headphones are being positioned, in part, as wireless headphones designed for use in the real world. As such Jabra tested them to make sure the…

Game Diary, Reviews

Old Clockmakers Riddle for Mac Review

I admit that when I first tried the iPad version of Old Clockmakers Riddle, I was expecting it to be a standard story-based Hidden Object game. But after I started reading the description I was thrilled to see the Match-3 gameplay tied to an interesting story. You find a letter that leads you to a dead down that has utterly stopped, and you need to find gems and clock hands hidden in the houses of town to ‘restart’ them and get to the point of fixing the clock and restarting the town. Type of app: Match-3 Puzzle game Platform/where to…

Reviews

MonCarbone Black Diamond Smartt Mate Carbon Fiber iPad Shell Review

Judie and I met with MonCarbone during CES 2013. We’ve always liked their wares and were impressed by their current offerings. Not only are they making luxurious cases for iPhones and iPads but they have expanded their lineup to include luggage and speakers made from carbon fiber. The bags are nice but I think their iPhone and iPad cases are still the standout products. Judie reviewed one of the new cases for the iPhone 5 back in February. The iPhone case is nice but the MonCarbone Black Diamond Smartt Mate Carbon Fiber iPad Shell… now that is an amazing carbon fiber case! The MonCarbone…

Reviews

BeyzaCases Sarach Series for iPad Mini Review

We loved meeting Ali Yildirim and his team from BeyzaCases during CES 2013. We love their gorgeous leather case and appreciate their advertising on Gear Diary. Their new offerings are the epitome of luxury and make using your various electronic devices even more pleasurable. You can read all about our time with Ali and his team here. We walked away from our time at the BeyzaCases booth with a number of their current products. One of the more unusual is the BeyzaCases Sarach Series for iPad Mini. Available in black, tan, brown and camel. Priced at more than $150 the…

Game Diary, Reviews

Cognition Brings Chilling Adventure to iOS, Review and Giveaway!

If you are like myself or most other PC game fans, you track the ‘indie bundle’ sites regularly and grab all of the great games these creative developers publish. A couple of months ago I grabbed Cognition Episode 1 from IndieGameStand on the Mac, but never finished playing. Now it is available for the iPad, so before I could get a review code from the publisher I bought the game and played it. I say that Cognition brings chilling adventure to iOS, read on to find out why! Oh, and the publisher came through with a review code as well…

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