Reviews

Music Diary, Reviews June 5, 2013

Jon Wirtz Tourist Review – A Great Collection of Disparate Compositions

Back in 2010 Jon Wirtz impressed me and many others with his debut recording ‘Sea Level, featuring mature solo piano work that evoked comparisons to reknowned pianists such as Keith Jarrett, Vijay Iyer and Matthew Shipp. Now he has returned with his ‘Nuskool’ trio on an album of strong and diverse compositions called ‘Tourist’. The album had a ‘soft launch’ back in April but I have been enjoying it on my iPod for even longer. Let’s take a look!

Reviews June 3, 2013

Tom Bihn Synapse 25 Backpack Review – Bigger and Better!

It’s been a while since Tom Bihn released the original Synapse backpack. I liked it very much except that it does tend to look a little silly on a big guy like me, and sometimes it’s just a bit too small to hold the things I want to bring along. Apparently I am not the only one who has said that, which led Tom to design a bigger version of the Synapse, called the Synapse 25. The original Synapse is still being made, and is now called the Synapse 19. What’s New?

Reviews June 3, 2013

The Lifesaver Filtered Water Bottle Review

There are a few basic necessities that all humans need to survive: Food, Water, and Shelter. Shelter can be built by people with materials one finds throughout the world; wood, stone, sand, clay are all examples of items that can be found in nature in order to build and provide shelter for humans. Food can also be found by either scavenging or hunting and there are simple ways to prepare food with fire. However, clean, drinkable water can be extremely difficult to find and there are no real fool proof ways to ensure that one can remove all bacteria, viruses,…

Reviews June 2, 2013

Lowepro Photo Hatchback 16L AW Camera Backpack Is Your New Adventure Buddy

The Lowepro Photo Hatchback 16L AW camera backpack is a great way to carry and protect your mirror less camera, a tablet and a healthy selection of gear. When preparing for CES 2013 last January I tried a number of bags and backpacks that would allow me to carry my camera gear and my tablet all day long. Ultimately I settled on a backpack from Loco, and I really enjoyed using it. It was a bid on the large side for me but, for CES, that was a good thing. (That review is forthcoming.) When I moved to a smaller…

Reviews June 2, 2013

Yurbuds Inspire Limited Edition Sport Earphones Offer Good Sound and Good Fit

The other day we reviewed yurbuds’ Focus Pro behind the ear sports headphones. I was impressed with the comfort of the headphones as well as the microphone and in-line controls on them. The audio from the headphones was good, but it wasn’t good enough to make the Focus Pros something I would want to listen to as my full-time pair of headphones. The Focus Pros are perfectly fine for a run or similar activity, but they simply don’t stand up to some of the other relatively high-end headphones we have reviewed. This time we are looking the yurbuds Limited Edition…

Game Diary, Reviews June 1, 2013

Might & Magic Clash of Heroes DS – A Retro Romp Review

A few months ago I reviewed the iOS release of ‘Might & Magic Clash of Heroes’, which was a port of a 2009 Nintendo DS game that has also been released for PC and XBOX Live Arcade.

Reviews June 1, 2013

Yurbuds Focus Pro Review – They Stay Put and Keep the Music Going

In 2010 yurbuds came out with one of the silliest audio products ever- or so I thought. They offered custom-sized “earbud enhancers” that fit over the one-size-fits all earbuds Apple and others included with phones and media devices. The goal of these “enhancers” was to create a better, more comfortable fit. I wasn’t impressed. Fast forward to CES 2011, and the company showed off their revamped product. Now, instead of having a cover that fit over your existing earbuds, they offered a complete package — their own brand of earbuds with the yurbud special sauce, the earbud enhancers already in place. We…

Reviews June 1, 2013

Battery for Windows Phone Review

I am having fun setting up my new Lumia 928, and part of that is getting to know new apps and settings. On my iPhone I had my battery percentage listed in the status bar, but that’s not an options in Windows Phone. Luckily, I stumbled across a great utility app, aptly called “Battery”, that provides a Live Tile of my percentage battery life left, plus a whole slew of other useful data settings and shortcuts!

Game Diary, Reviews May 31, 2013

Star Wars Battlefront Elite Squadron for PSP – A Retro Romp Review

In the late fall 2005 after the PSP had been released for about six months LucasArts released Star Wars Battlefront II on a variety of platforms including the Sony PSP. The PSP version was a solid enough shooter but definitely lacking in depth and execution compared to other platforms. In 2007 came the PSP-exclusive follow-up Renegade Squadron, and finally in 2009 there was a DS/PSP game Elite Squadron. The final game was released as interest in the PSP was waning, folks were getting ready for whatever was next, and smartphone gaming was on the rise. I hadn’t played in nearly…

Game Diary, Reviews May 31, 2013

Fuse Review on PlayStation 3

NOTE: This collaborative review was co-written with our special correspondent Wayne Beck. Fuse is an engaging four player co-operative action game with third and first person shooter perspectives. The Hype What happens when human beings access powerful alien technology they were never meant to have been exposed to? When a volatile energy source they call Fuse falls into the wrong hands, the CIA calls upon an elite contact team to retrieve it, known as Overstrike 9. Huddle with up to 3 friends in team-based co-op play as you take down the rogue paramilitary corporation behind the theft. Use lethal teamwork,…

Reviews May 30, 2013

Diamond Multimedia PlugnView Home Monitoring System Review

A few weeks ago, I wrote an initial post entitled The Aftermarket Smart Home – a Gear Diary Journey. The thought for the series came to me after friends told me about the various smart home considerations that were playing into their choices as they do a complete home renovation. I loved some of the things they were planning on bringing into their home, but Elana and I were not about to start opening walls to add video surveillance, remote HVAC and lighting control or all-house audio. Thankfully there are enough items already on the market that make it possible…

Reviews May 30, 2013

ZAGG invisibleSHIELD for HTC One Review

The HTC One’s slick aluminium design looks great, but it doesn’t take much time in the real world to pick up scuffs and scratches if you go caseless. Enter the ZAGG invisibleSHIELD, a product designed to keep the slim profile, but not leave you completely unprotected. The ZAGG invisibleSHIELD Full Body for the HTC One is made up of two pieces of adhesive rubberised film, one each for the front and back. Included in the “kit” is a small spray bottle of distilled water, a squeegee and a microfibre cloth for getting your device clean. Straight up I decided not…

Game Diary, Reviews May 30, 2013

Build It Miami Beach Resort HD for iPad Review

When you read a title and see a quick game description, it is easy to make assumptions about what to expect. That is certainly the case with Build It Miami Beach Resort, which immediately made me think of the Build-a-Lot series we’ve reviewed here several times. However, while there are certain similarities, the games are distinct – and Build It Miami Beach Resort stands on its own quite solidly as something worth checking out!

Reviews May 30, 2013

Keep Your Teeth Clean with the Cenoire Ultra Travel Toothbrush

They say that cleanliness is next to godliness. I’m not sure about that, but I do know that fresh breath is a great way to help make a good first impression. When you are traveling or have a 16 hour work day that can be a bit of a challenge unless you have something like Cenoire’s travel toothbrush with you. The toothbrush is one of the simpler pieces of tech we have reviewed here on the site, but it is actually one of the more universal pieces of kit and belongs in pretty much any gear bag. The sonic toothbrush…

Music Diary, Reviews May 30, 2013

IK Multimedia iRig HD Guitar Interface for iOS Review

A few years ago a little company based out of Italy released a neat little accessory for the iPhone and iPad called ‘iRig’, and an app that went along with it called AmpliTube. We have covered loads of ‘pro-sumer’ grade hardware and software from IK Multimedia. Now they are back with the next generation of the guitar interface that made them famous – the iRig HD! Let’s take a look!

Reviews May 28, 2013

Tetris Blitz for iPhone Review

The other day, my students and I were discussing how far computers have come, especially with gaming. I was telling them how my friends and I always played Tetris back in the 90’s when there was finally color and good audio on our school computers. We would play the game for hours, often surviving until the levels moved so fast we could barely see the shapes. The Russian themed backgrounds and music were so epic coming from the Apple IIe days. The kids were amused, not by the change in technology, but in the simplicity of the game. One told…

Reviews May 28, 2013

Koala Mount for Tablets Keeps Your Tablet Hanging Around

If you use a tablet and love having it handy and accessible the idea of being able to quickly and easily mount it on the wall may be attractive. The Koala Mount for tablets is designed to let you do just that in an easy, inexpensive way that won’t damage any surface. The Koala Mount is, as my contractor father-in-law calls it, a “handyman special”. In other words, the Koala Mount is easy enough to install that… even I could do it. In fact… I did. The Koala Mount for tablets is a simple product. It features Simple setup using…

Health and Fitness, Reviews May 28, 2013

Lems Shoes Primal 2 Review

I love sneakers. Even before I became a runner, I vastly preferred sneakers over any other footwear. It still makes me sad that my office is business formal, and the first thing I do when I get home is shuck my work shoes and slip into sneakers. So I take my sneakers very seriously, and when I say that the Lems Primal 2’s I’ve been testing for the past week are some of the best sneakers I’ve ever worn, that’s praise I don’t give lightly. What makes these shoes so great isn’t any one thing, but a combination of things….

Reviews May 26, 2013

The Gtech AirRAM Cordless Vacuum Cleaner Review

In our home we have a Welsh Pembroke Corgi, three girls with shoulder-length or longer hair, and three mohair rugs; there are days when I am not sure who or what sheds worse. We have a conventional upright vacuum cleaner, and although it works well enough, it is a pain to have to get it out. As you likely know, in order to use a traditional upright vacuum cleaner, you generally have to get it out of a storage closet, unwind the cord, plug it in, and move it about as needed; I’m not sure about your upright vacuum, but…

Reviews May 26, 2013

BROpener Lets You Turn Any Surface Into a Bottle Opener

Summer is here, and that means sun, fun and beer. It also means that GearFest 2013 is coming soon. THAT means we’ll be enjoying lots and lots of IPAs. After all they are Kevin’s favorite, and he has made an IPA-lover out of me too. Last GearFest our bottle opener saw a good bit of use. This year it will be staying in the drawer, because instead of using a standard bottle opener, we will be using the BROpener. The BROpener was a successful Kickstarter project that quickly, and easily turns any surface into a bottle opener. And while I…

Reviews May 25, 2013

Think Tank Photo Mirrorless Mover 30i Review

Think Tank Photos Mirrorless Mover line of bags is a great way to carry and protect your mirrorless camera. The line is “scaled to fit today’s compact, mirrorless cameras, this collection of bags offers the same top quality materials and craftsmanship that Think Tank is known for. “The Mirrorless Mover 30i is also the first accessory I am getting to review for it.

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