Reviews

iPod touch Accessory Review: mophie juice pack air for iPod touch 4th Generation

When mophie first released their juice pack air for the iPhone it was a revelation. At least it was a revelation for me! For the first time I could wrap my iPhone in a case that brought with it both protection and far far better battery life. A short time later the company updated the juice pack to use a soft-touch material that even made holding the iPhone a pleasure. And that was a few iPhone’s ago! Since the first juice pack came out I have had one for every iPhone I have had. In fact, my juice pack air…


Review: Belkin Conserve Insight

With the economy in the state it is in we are trying to conserve what we spend anyway we can. Whether we are turning the thermostat down, turning off lights or buying compact fluorescent bulbs that use less electricity, we are all trying to save what we can on our electric bill.  All of this got me wondering: how much power your laptop really uses?  How about my TV?  Do compact fluorescent bulbs really save any money over standard incandescent bulbs?  With Belkin’s new Conserve Insight finding the answers was simple. The device is simple and easy to use.  All you…


Retro Camera Android App Review

I recently noticed an influx of funky old-timey photos on Facebook.  After asking around, it appears that most people I know are using Retro Camera. According to Urbian (the developer), the app lets you take “delicious old-school pics your friends will drool over” and it delivers an “off-the-hip analog look.” Now, in general I consider myself to be pretty cool, but I am a far cry from a hipster.  I own neither over-sized 1980s glasses nor a t-shirt depicting three wolves howling at the moon.  Regardless, I felt compelled to give it a try. I installed it on my Droid…


BlackBerry Playbook Case Review: Case-Mate Barely There

I’m a huge fan of minimalist cases and that tends to hold true for pretty much every device I use. I want something as thin as possible on my iPhone 4. I want something that doesn’t add too much bulk to my iPad 2. And I want to get a case for the BlackBerry PlayBook RIM gave out at the launch event that adds some protection but doesn’t remove the key advantage this “completely and totally unfinished but still has potential” device has over the iPad and other 10″ tablets: its small size and light weight. That’s where Case-Mate’s Barely…


Audio Accessory Review: iSkin earTones Earbuds

Every now and then a product comes in for review that surprises me… in a good way! That’s the case with iSkin’s new earTone earbuds. They are bright, colorful earbuds that use the company’s Microband, a technology that inhibits the growth of odor, fungus and stain-causing bacteria on the earbuds and remote. At an MSRP of $39.99 I figured the earbuds, which come in a rainbow of colors, were largely a fashion-statement product with the Microband as an add-on for extra hype. I was wrong. The little things sound fantastic, are super-comfortable and, at under $40, they are a great choice…


iPhone/iPad Game Review: Legendary Wars

I have a long-standing love of ‘tower defense’ (TD) games, so when there was an opportunity to check out Legendary Wars from Liv Games, there was only one possible answer: YES! Let’s see how they did! The Hype: Welcome to Legendary Wars. Take command of your heroes. Build up massive armies to destroy the undead forces of the Netherworld! It’s time to fight back! Legendary Wars Features: -Huge world to Explore -Unique Gameplay: Action-RTS-RPG -Gorgeous Retina graphics and animation -ZOMG Monsters! -New gear and attacks -Epic Soundtrack The Reality: Legendary Wars isn’t strictly a TD game – but most games…


iPad Case Review: PixelSkin HD Wrap for iPad 2

So you got yourself a shiny new iPad 2. (Finally!) How are you going to protect it? Think about it: you want a case that protects the iPad as much as possible but you also do not want to lose the nice curves and the thinner design it offers over its predecessor. Speck has started rolling out their offerings and we are going to take a look at a few of them. First up is the Speck PixelSkin HD Wrap case for iPad 2. The PixelSkin HD Wrap case for iPad 2 builds on the company’s familiar Pixel Hd design and…


Review: Belkin Conserve Valet

As time goes on I seem to gain more and more devices that charge off of a USB port.  My phone, my iPod, Bluetooth Headphones, Kindle and even the Zi8 that  I recently reviewed all charge off of a USB port.  So it just makes sense to start to see devices like the Super Travel A/C USB Wall Charger I reviewed a while back.  That’s fine for travel and works well.  However, it sure would be nice to actually have a place to manage the cables as well as to hold the devices as they charge.  That’s why I was…


iPhone Case Review: Speck ToughSkin Case for iPhone 4

klutz noun \?kl?ts\ Definition of KLUTZ : a clumsy person Are you a klutz? Do you have a tendency to not look where you are going and trip over the smallest of things? Do you drop your iPhone more than your iPhone drops calls? (Okay, we know THAT’S not possible but still…) If you answered yes to any or all of these questions this is the iPhone 4 case for you. Yes, Speck has produced an iPhone case for the klutzes among us. It offers amazing protection and a good bit of varied use scenarios. Here’s a close look at the Speck…


GarageBand for iPad Review

GarageBand is part of Apple’s iLife suite, originally envisioned as a sort of musical ‘scratch pad’ with a limited tool set but plenty of software sound capabilities. Several years and iterations later it offers a fairly robust solution for musicians … to the point that any musician working with a Mac absolutely owes it to themselves to have a copy. When GarageBand for the iPad was announced it looked cool … but does it perform? The Hype: GarageBand turns your iPad into a collection of Touch Instruments and a full-featured recording studio — so you can make music anywhere you…


Review: Applecore Cable Management in Action!

The other day I e-mailed Judie and asked, “How do you keep all your various charging and syncing cables organized?” Her answer was short, to the point, and said everything that needed to be said. “What makes you think that my cords and cables are organized in any way shape or form?” Yes, if you have multiple devices, cable overwhelm can be a bit of an issue. So how does one deal with it? I have tried a host of different solutions which include everything from having specific cables taped underneath my desk and available if I simply reach for…


Google Docs for Android Review

Have you ever wanted to make a quick note or change to a document on the go? Many folks swear by Evernote, but sadly it is blocked by my work so I stick with Google Docs. So when a native Android app arrived, I hopped right on it. So far I have only messed around a bit, but have a clear impression. The Hype: Create, edit, upload and share your documents with the Google Docs app. * Designed for Android to save you time finding your docs * Edits to your documents appear to collaborators in seconds * Make quick…



PPC Techs Apple iPad Black Universal Capacitive Stylus Review

  Steve Jobs was clear when he introduced the iPad that using a stylus was a “no-no”. Instead, he encouraged all of us to use our built-in pointers; you know, those things called fingers. Well that has worked pretty well for me over the last year. In fact, it has worked so well that I have increasingly tried to touch the screen of my MacBook Air only to be reminded that, oh yeah, it has a trackpad, not a touchscreen. There are, however, times when you might want to use a stylus. No, the iPad will never be as stylus-friendly…


Crackle (multiple devices) Review

There seems to be another new ‘streaming video’ site popping up every week, but the mantra is all-too familiar: too little content that you want to watch, or just as likely plenty of content but it is just the same stuff you can get on every other site. Enter Crackle, the streaming video site cooked up by the folks at Sony Pictures. Is it any better? Let’s look and see! The Hype: Crackle is the place to experience pure entertainment: full-length movies, TV shows, and original series from genres that embody cool — all uncut, uncensored, and unbelievably free. We’ve…


iPad 2 Case Review: Yoobao Executive Genuine Leather Case for iPad 2

I have a new favorite case for my iPad 2 and, to be honest, it comes as a surprise to me. The case isn’t from a brand name. It doesn’t have a striking style. Isn’t one of the many luxury cases we have the good fortune of reviewing here on the site. No, this iPad 2 case is a relatively inexpensive, unassuming case for my constant companion and yet it has, for now, risen to the top of the heap. The case in question is the Yoobao Executive Genuine Leather Case for iPad 2 and it comes to us via…


Riffs and Pixels: Griffin’s GuitarConnect Cable for iOS devices

I procrastinate. Yes, I’m one of THOSE guys. I might put off my research paper a few days to, you know, let it “mature.” I also might put off writing a killer guitar tune because I’m not in the creative mood. Sure, THAT’S the reason. Actually, it’s because I’m not as proficient with musical notation as my high school music theory teacher would like (unfortunately, that man is also my cousin). I’ve been playing guitar for over 23 years now, and I still have yet to write the next big rock hit. So what gives? I’m happy to say that…


Review: Lowepro Compuday Photo 250 Backpack

I love gear bags, especially backpacks. The great thing about a gear bag is that I can carry more of my stuff. I have a backpack for my DSLR as well as a backpack for my MacBook and all of the items that go with it. Just the other day we took a short family trip and my wife was amused that I had to carry two backpacks with me. She asked why I did not just find one that could fit all of my stuff I was taking. Well, lucky for me, I was able to review the Compuday…


Android Phone Accessory Review: PowerSkin Battery Case for MyTouch 4G

Battery life continues to be the bane of smartphones. The technology hasn’t significantly improved in quite some time, which is problematic because the power and functionality of the small devices has increased exponentially. This results in some state-of-the-art devices with battery life that can only be described as horrific. There are a few options for how one might address the current situation but none of them are particularly good. Manufacturers can slow down their devices so they use less power or they can increase the size of the battery. Neither is a particularly good solution. Users, on the other hand,…


Review: ToddyGear Smart Cloths

Did you know the average American family now owns 24 electronic devices? Yup, 24 devices and guess how many of them are covered with smudges, grime and… worse? Pretty much all of them. And when germs are mixed in with the smudges watch out since it has been shown that germs can live on touch screen devices anywhere from 1 day to 1 month. Take, for example, my iPad 2. That’s pretty gross isn’t it?? (And it is the reason I prefer NOT to let others handle my touchscreen devices.) That’s what is great about the Toddy Smart Cloths.  The Smart…


Einstein’s Pedometer Gets Tested by Gear Diary!

I majored in philosophy in college, and my high school physics class trip to Great Adventure could be summed up as “WHEEEEEEEEEE” rather than “So that’s how Newton’s 2nd Law of Gravity works on ‘Scream Machine.’” So while I understand that Einstein’s theory of relativity involves time and that if you launched into space at the speed of light and came back you’d be less old than if you stayed on Earth, I can’t tell you why. Or whether you get the same benefit going 80 instead of 65 on the highway. However, like all things in life, there’s an…