Reviews

iGrand Piano for iPhone and iPad Review

Type of app: Music Making Software Platform/where to buy: iPad (iPhone version here); available in the App Store Developer: IK Multimedia Description: iGrand Piano puts an entire gallery of the world’s finest pianos right at your fingertips with studio-grade quality never heard before in any other app that stands up to the most powerful virtual instruments available on a computer. iGrand Piano features: – 8 world-class, multi-velocity stereo grand and upright piano instruments (including one by registering) – Expandable library of 9 additional studio-grade instruments instantly available via in-app purchase – Intuitive instrument edit controls including ambience, lid, brightness, release,…

Reviews, Travel

Skooba Cable Stable Rollup Kit Review

Back in June, I did a video post on how I created a Skooba Design “Go Pack”. I took one of the company’s Cable Stables and strategically loaded it with all the cables and accessories I need with me on the go. It continues to serve me well but, believe it on not, it can be a bit too large on days when I’m traveling super-light. This is especially so now that my iPad mini is my “go-everywhere” tablet. That’s why I was pleased to get one of Skooba Design’s first Cable Stable Rollup Kits. The Rollup Kit is small,…

Music Diary, Reviews

Pioneer DDJ-WeGO Video Unbox and First Impressions

I announced the release of the affordable yet feature-packed DDJ-WeGO from Pioneer here. The folks at Pioneer recently sent us a DDJ-WeGO to evaluate, and we are planning a full-on review for the next couple of weeks. I wanted to get in a quick unboxing and hands-on out there in case anyone was planning some holiday shopping for the DJ enthusiast and had the DDJ-WeGO on their list! Manufacturer: Pioneer Description: Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. Professional Sound and Visual Division today unveiled its most affordable controller to date, the DDJ-WeGO, an ultra-compact system that enables consumers and music enthusiasts alike…

Reviews

BlackBerry Music Gateway Lets You Go Wireless with Bluetooth and NFC

We’ve looked at a few different accessories that turn your wired speaker dock or home audio system into a wireless audio powerhouse, but none have been quite as powerful as BlackBerry’s upcoming $49 Music Gateway. What makes the Music Gateway stand out? NFC (Near Field Communication)! Let’s take a closer look. From BlackBerry: The BlackBerry Music Gateway is a great new music accessory that allows you to play music from any Bluetooth enabled device. Also setting this apart from other music streaming devices is its NFC capabilities, which enables a quick and easy pairing option. Once connected, change tracks and…

Reviews

SuperTooth Disco 2 Bluetooth Wireless Speaker Review

I first reviewed SuperTooth’s Disco Bluetooth speaker about a year and a half ago. It is an interesting speaker with a design that stands out in an increasingly crowded market. The original Disco was long and low. Rather than having capacitive touch controls it had – get this — a physical knob for volume control and actual buttons for all other functions. Talk about old-school! When I first opened the box, I really thought the original Disco was ugly. However, over time it grew on me. And while I still don’t think it’s particularly attractive, I do like the physical…

Reviews

OrigAudio Designears Custom Noise-Reducing Headphones Review

Back in college, I had a part-time job at Best Buy. In addition to being awesome simply because I was a geek and it was an electronics store, they also offered a fantastic employee discount. I bought a pair of oversize noise-canceling headphones, and I used them until they fell to pieces. I had quite the soft spot for them, so when OrigAudio offered us the chance to review Designears, personalizable noise reducing headphones, I jumped at the chance! From OrigAudio: Designears support the notion that OrigAudio has always stood behind: Why be the same, when you can be different….

Reviews

Battle of the 7″ Tablets – iPad Mini vs Kindle Fire HD vs Nexus 7

In our Gear Chat, I said to Dan that the iPad Mini was the ‘best small format tablet I have ever touched’. So what does that mean in context? Well, aside from the Mini, I have had a couple of Samsung 7″ tablets, one each from ASUS and Acer, HTC Flyer, original Kindle Fire, and most recently the Google Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD. Those last two are currently very popular, so I wanted to take a hands-on look at all three and compare them across a number of criteria. Here are the comparison points I used: 1. Size…

G5 Hosting Doomsday Preppers Caption Contest

Game Diary, Reviews

Doomsday Preppers (NatGeo Show Tie-In) for iPad Review

Type of app: Building Management game Platform/where to buy: iPad/iPhone; available in the App Store Developer: National Geographic Games / G5 Entertainment Description: 135 floors to build – how deep will you go? Six types of floors: Shelter, Security, Food and Water, Science, Workshop and Recreation Over 300 products to prep and store Over 150 male and female customizable avatars to choose from Regular game updates to keep you plotting and planning Play with other preppers, including your Facebook friends Major features: I have to confess that I have never seen Doomsday Preppers, which starts its second season on November…

Reviews

HSTI Wireless Media Stick Review

As time goes by, I have seen USB ports appearing in places that one would not normally expect to find them; from the car to our televisions, USB ports have been incorporated into many devices. So picture this scenario: you have a computer at home that has media on it that you’d like to get on your TV, Stereo or any other place you might have a USB port. You could copy the music to a thumb drive and use that, but then what happens when you want to add more music or change it out? You’d need to retrieve the thumb drive,…

Reviews

Gear Chat – the ‘Mike Wasn’t Getting an iPad Mini’ Episode

OK, so just a few weeks ago I made some bold declarations about how I would not be getting an iPad Mini, stating it in our last Gear Chat, then taking a bold stance on the ‘Five Reasons I Won’t Be Getting the ‘iPad Mini’’ (which Dan rebutted with a single reason). Since release although I didn’t explicitly post a review or anything else declaring that I had gotten the Mini, I did mention it in my post about iOS 6 WiFi problems, a game review, and then my continuing ‘iPad as my 99% Computer series’. So yeah … I…

Music Diary, Reviews

Stereo Sound Test Review – Kindle Fire HD vs iPad Mini

We now know that the iPad Mini is the first iDevice with stereo speakers. But they are located on either side of the downscaled Lightning connector port. I have also touted the excellent sound and stereo separation of the Kindle Fire HD. Now that I have both tablets … let’s put them to the test! The first thing I did was a series of basic stereo separation tests, some of which you can find here. The results? The Kindle Fire HD shows much more dramatic stereo separation and better ‘sound location’, which makes it very immersive when watching a video…

Reviews

Twelve South HiRise for MacBook Review

At present my only computer is a 15″ MacBook Pro with Retina display. I love it. Similarly, Elana’s only computer is an 11″ MacBook air. She loves it. When Elana works on her MBA, she always does so with the computer sitting atop the Rain Design mStand for MacBook I reviewed back in December of 2010. After a full two years of use, it still looks brand new. (Read the review.) Elana loves the fact that the stand lets her raise the screen closer to eye level. And, thanks to a keyboard and mouse, she effectively has a desktop that…

Reviews

JBL Micro 2 Rechargeable Portable Speaker Review

Your iPhone’s speaker stinks, and so does your iPad’s; even the iPad mini’s stereo speakers, a first for an iOS device, are crappy. And your Android devices? They don’t really do much better. Yes, for a quick YouTube video or conversation the speaker on your mobile device is certainly adequate but it’s not going to win any audiophile prizes. And while you could keep a larger speaker such as the JawBone in your gear bag, that takes up space and adds weight. That’s where this diminutive speaker from JBL comes in. The JBL Micro 2 is small, light, and can…

Reviews

Extreme Road Trip 2 for iPhone Review

When I game on my iPhone, it must be a quick experience that can be played in short period of times without the need to beat long levels. I particularly enjoy games that utilize a well-built physics engine and include some speed and destruction. While recently searching the App Store, I found a category of recommendations that are utilized for use on the iPhone 5. I chose to take a look at Road Trip 2 and have been addicted ever since! Let’s take a quick look. Your gas pedal is stuck AGAIN! Do stunts to get nitro boost and SLAM…

Reviews

Belkin Car Charger with Lightning Connector for iPhone 5 Review

Those of us who use Apple’s mobile products have entered into a transitional period. The devices we had prior to this fall all use the company’s 30-pin dock connector but, as you likely know, all of their new products use a much smaller, and thankfully reversible, connector. If you have old cables, it means you either need to buy new ones or get one of Apple’s pricey adapters if you want to charge on the go. Thankfully Belkin has been first to step in and release new products that use the updated connector. They sent me one of their Car…

Reviews

SMS STREET by 50 DJ Over-the-Ear Headphones Review

Back in June we reviewed the SMS Audio Street by 50 Wired Headphones. (Read the review.) I was impressed by both the comfort and the sound. I summarized them with “What I Like: Well-made; Stay in the ear nicely; In-line controller; Flat, tangle-free cable; Sound great”. Since then SMS Audio has greatly expanded their offerings which now include their SMS STREET by 50 DJ over-the-ear headphones. They are big, bold and make a statement. I’ve been using a pair for the last few weeks, so let’s take a look. I’m usually a fan of in-ear or on-ear headphones more than…

Reviews

Epson Expression Premium XP-800 Small-in-One Printer Review

I haven’t been all too interested in printers for the last year and a half or so. The reason for this is quite simple — I have been making a concerted effort to be as “paperless” as possible. Thanks to my iPhone, iPad and the various apps that are now available for them, there is little I actually NEED to print. And on those rare occasions when I DO need something printed out … I just send an email to my assistant and ask her to print it using her laser printer. The result? I don’t have or need a…

Music Diary, Reviews

iRig Keys iOS/USB Keyboard Controller Review

Keyboard controllers are not a new concept – soon after MIDI became a standard, sound modules were released that allowed you to access the sounds of a synthesizer without all of the other hardware bulk or expense. It also allowed for keyboards offering a robust piano-like feel, or guitar-like portability – all while bringing along the great sounds offered by the hot synths of the day. As we have gotten to the point where it is possible to make high quality music with an entire suite of software synths, the need for external keyboards and sound modules has declined to…

Game Diary, Reviews

Masters of Mystery Crime of Fashion for Android Review

Type of app: Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) game Platform/where to buy: Android; available in the Google Play Store Developer: Big Blue Bubble / G5 Entertainment Description: The brutal murder of a famous designer shakes the high-stakes world of New York fashion. Join Detective Carrie Chase and use interactive forensic tools to explore crime scenes and find evidence. Follow the twists and turns in the case , crack the crime and stop a serial killer in Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion. 500 Objects to find with 4 unique interactive tools 25 Stunning locations in 3 chapters 6 Fascinating puzzles…

Reviews

XtremeMac Microshield Fade Case for iPhone 5 Review

As someone who loves simple cases that protect your device without adding too much weight or bulk, I’ve found that XtremeMac’s Microshield Fade Case for iPhone 5 does a great job of being simple while still retaining interest. When the case is on the phone, you barely know it is there. At the same time, the gradient transition from translucent to opaque when you travel down the iPhone is visually striking. Let’s take a look and then give two away. From XtremeMac: Protect your new iPhone 5 device with this sophisticated and stylish Microshield Fade case by XtremeMac. Capturing the…

Reviews

Skyfall Film Review

The longest-running film franchise of all time celebrates their 50th Anniversary in style with Skyfall, the twenty-third installment in the James Bond film series. Daniel Craig marks his third performance as James Bond (a.k.a. Agent 007) as Ben Wishaw debuts as gadget guru Q (a.k.a. Quartermaster). Director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition) helms this film and all the underlying themes amid Audiences get a great mix of surprises, new elements, and familiar fundamentals like the exotic international locations, overt sexual overtones and, of course, the gear, which for Bond personally is surprisingly simple. Unique weapons like a stinging…

« 1 … 193 194 195 196 197 … 337 »