I am a bit of a size snob when it comes to portable batteries; if there is an option to get it, I want the largest mAh available. Nothing gives me more comfort when I’ve got a 20-hour international journey than knowing I have enough battery power to keep all of my portable devices charged during the trip.
I logged over a third of 2015 in travel, and 2016 is shaping up to be more of the same. International flights are the worst, as I have a terrible time trying to sleep between the engine noise and cabin chatter. The obvious solution is a pair of noise-canceling headphones, and that’s why I love giving new ones a try.
Adonit’s Jot Script 2 is a thing of beauty. It’s a solid stylus that feels great in the hand and writes on your iPad even better. It has Pixelpoint accuracy and comes with a magnetic USB charging dock so you can be sure you’ll always have enough juice. You can get yourself a Jot Script 2 for $74.99!
I have a new favorite bag for days when I travel light. If I only have my iPhone, headphones, an external battery, and either my 13″ MacBook Pro or iPad Pro with the ZAGG Slimbook I am currently reviewing, I take my gear along in the KNOMO Kinsale Soft Leather Messenger Bag. Its as gorgeous as it is simple!
The iPad Pro has such a large, lovely screen — it’s just begging to be touched. But unfortunately, that same screen looks spotty and gross within just a few hours of use; fingerprints are not your friend. The Moshi iVisor AG anti-glare screen protector can help!
We’ve been trying to get our “junk drawers” organized, and in the process we unearthed my old Toshiba NB205 netbook. I loved this netbook, and it was a faithful companion for two years. Time took a toll on performance, and it slipped into the pile of unused electronics. It has new life, though, thanks to Neverware’s CloudReady (ChromeOS) build!
Typically when you spend $299 on a pair of earphones, you’re expecting quality, but you’re also expecting some flaws. Well, that’s exactly the case with the Bragi Dash. So let’s get right into it. I originally backed the Bragi Dash February 23rd, 2014 after scouring Kickstarter for $199 (early bird pricing) with expectations of getting them in January 2015 (no really, there’s screenshots): I finally received them February 12th, 2016 after much delay and plenty of Twitter and emailed excuses. It’s something I should’ve expected after being a backer of “Coin”, which most people know wasn’t the most successful launch…
We all have a bottle opener or two in our kitchen drawers, but most of them are pretty straightforward: bottle opener on one end, can opener on the other. The Barbarian Bar Tools’ Simple Tool can open bottles and cans, but it also has a few other tricks up its sleeve.
What’s better than wrapping your laptop in a beautiful wood cover — front, back, and sides? Not much, I tell you. But Toast managed to top all of that goodness by sending me one of their Real Wood MacBook Covers with Gear Diary’s logo emblazoned on the front. The result is absolutely gorgeous!
If you use sponges (or O-Cell-O pads) in your home, then you probably have two: one that you use on dishes and countertops and one that gets used in places like the toilet, floor, or worse. The Spongester is a simple two-tiered stainless steel rack that stores your sponges so they can dry, keeping them clean and most importantly — separated.
I am not a big fan of the Apple earbuds that came with my phone, so I am always searching for replacements. Monster is looking to replacing your earbuds with the $79.95 ClarityHD High-Performance Wireless Earbuds. Not only is Monster looking to improve earbud performance, but to also cut the cord with this Bluetooth option. Let’s see how they fared!
I’ve long been a blade shaver, and I was hooked on Gillette’s Fusion ProGlide line for a long time. Well, I am no longer paying Gillette’s exorbitant price, thanks to Harry’s; my face feels better for it, and so does my wallet.
The Cobra Brief by Booq is my favorite 15” MacBook Pro-toting briefcase for traveling. I’ve used it twice so far on plane trips from Newark to both Chicago and Orlando and it’s been very comfortable to carry with me, stow under the seat in front of me, or in the overhead luggage compartment. The Cobra Brief is available for $295!
If your TV watching reality includes a basket filled with six or seven different remotes, then I understand your pain. That was how things were at my house before Logitech sent their Harmony Elite Remote to review. I have to say that after a relatively painless setup, the results of consolidating have been so worth it.
In the past few months, I have found myself enamored with smart lighting technology. I have lights that can be controlled through my Amazon Echo in three rooms and when Raina and I get a house, I plan to have it throughout. One of the items I expect I’ll put in some rooms is the MiPow Playbulb Sphere. It’s awesome!
We’ve all gone through kitchenware pans and a skillet or two in our lifetimes, and to be honest, there aren’t a lot of good quality pans out there that won’t cost you a pretty penny for actual quality. More recently I had my cheap Black Friday skillet legitimately die on me (It was cheap) and I was pretty excited when Finex sent me their Finex Cast Iron Skillet to review. If you’re not familiar with Finex, what you should know is they are a company based in the United States that got their beginning courtesy of Kickstart, and ever since they’ve been…
When I got my 2015 13″ MacBook Pro retina, Kev inherited my “old” 2012 15″ MacBook Pro retina. So when I read the Dell XPS 15’s reviewer guide and saw that Dell was calling it the “smallest 15-inch laptop on the planet”, heck yeah I was skeptical! But I had the means to do a quick and dirty size comparison, and guess what? Dell wasn’t exaggerating.
One of my issues with many messenger bags and backpacks is that, even before you put anything into them, they weigh a ton. Then, after you stow your gear inside, they feel like you are carrying a bag of bricks. Ouch! Not so with the Moshi Aerio! This bag is featherlight but ready for a day of serious productivity.
Since Apple released the Apple Watch companies have been scrambling to release charging stands that add aesthetics and functionality to Apple’s first wearable. We’ve looked at a number of them. Many have impressed us but the Twelve South Forte is, by far, the most elegant I’ve seen. At just under $60 it isn’t inexpensive but refined looks don’t come cheap.
It’s easy to find a tablet case with a built in stand, but most phone cases with kickstands tend to be pretty bulky. Tiltcard offers a better solution than choosing between a bulky case and propping your phone up against an assortment of objects by offering a collapsible stand that fits in your wallet.
We will be doing a full review of the Honor 5X soon; it’s a phone with the build quality of a flagship at budget pricing. But the Honor EMUI skin has gotten a lot of criticism, and it may not be as bad as first reaction seems. It’s easy to judge the EMUI apps and enhancements negatively if you’re a fan of plain, stock Android. But this is a phone aimed at people who aren’t looking for a flagship; Honor is a subsidiary of Huawei, and if you want a flagship, they make the Nexus 6P or the Huawei Mate…