Reviews

Reviews September 12, 2012

Tempo Battery Free Acoustic Amplifier for iPhone 4 and 4S Review

Here’s one of those products that, were I to simply see it online I would smile briefly and… move along. Yeah, I really wouldn’t have given the Tempo Battery Free Acoustic Amplifier for iPhone a second look. Good news is… I was sent one for review. Since it was in hand, I figured I would give it a try. Guess what? It works!! And at under $10 it is a great little extra for the iPhone-lover in your life. Let’s take a look. What Is It?: The Tempo acoustically amplifies the sound from the built-in speaker of your iPhone by…

Reviews September 12, 2012

Carved Skins Are One of the First Accessories I’ll Want for the New iPhone 5

Apple’s big announcement (or announcements) don’t happen until later today, but I already know one of the accessories I’ll be ordering for my iPhone 5. It comes from Carved, a small company that has completely and totally won me over. First let me give you a bit of a background on how I got to Carved in the first place. I don’t recall where I first saw the company’s name, but I did, and then I checked out their website; I liked what I saw. The company makes back plates and front plates for various devices out of real wood….

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear September 11, 2012

2013 Mazda CX-5 Crossover Brings the Zoom

The all-new 2013 CX-5 crossover utility vehicle from Mazda faces a daunting task – it is replacing not one but two models in the automaker lineup this year as both Tribute and CX-7 have received pink slips. CX-5 is also the first Mazda to take full advantage of the automaker’s new SKYACTIV technology that incorporates powertrain and chassis components working harmoniously. “The 2013 CX-5 is the vehicle compact SUV shoppers have been asking for – that only Mazda can build,” said Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). “Poised to join a fast-growing and increasingly competitive segment,…

Health and Fitness, Reviews September 10, 2012

Aqua Zinger Water Bottle, Review

Water! It is wet. Water! It is cold (when it comes out of the fridge at least)! Water! It is key to a healthy life. Water! Too often it has been replaced by sugary soda and “sports drinks”. And it is killing us. Water is healthy. Soda is not. Unfortunately soda tastes awesome and waters… well it tastes like water. It is, in fact, why I have been drinking (way too much) Crystal Light for the past few months. Yes, diet drinks are bad for us too but I like the flavor and miss the flavor when I drink water…

Reviews September 10, 2012

Digital Innovations Nest Earbud Protector Review

Unless you are a fan of stereo bluetooth headphones, you have earbuds. With the iPhone, Android Phones, Mp3 Players and other personal audio items usually shipping with a pair of these, we all end up with at least one favorite pair. They are the bane of our existence, and there have been many attempts at taming these cords. Just take a look below at the mess I usually pull out of my bag. Once I pull these out of my bag, I usually spend the next few minutes untangling them so I can use them. Well now I, and you — if you…

Reviews September 9, 2012

Element Case Walnut Wood iPad Shell Review

I’ve made no secret of my fondness for adding wooden accessories to my iPad and iPhone over the years; I absolutely love the juxtaposition of warm wood on an otherwise industrial-styled piece of electronics. Now I think I may have found one of the most amazingly designs yet seen from one of the last places I would have thought to look. Element Case has long been known for their beautiful and functional metal and composition iPhone case designs, but nothing in their manufacturing history would have led me to expect that they would make the leap to wood. That’s why I was…

Reviews September 8, 2012

iStabilizer Dolly Video Demo and Review

The other day we took a look at a neat way to create smooth video with the iPhone. (Check it out here.) That’s not the only iPhone camera accessory we’ve been reviewing and today we’ll take a look at the Dolly from iStabilizer. The Dolly is a great tool for taking panning video or creating a stable yet flexible base for time-lapse picture/video settings. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that it isn’t designed to work with a specific smartphone but rather, thanks to the included iStabilizer Mount, you can use it with a wide selection of smartphones in a…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear September 7, 2012

2013 Hyundai Santa Fe, a Hands-On Driving Experience

As I mentioned the other day, I had the opportunity to take a trip with a couple of dozen bloggers out to Park City, Utah over the weekend to check out the new 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. I described the incredible experience staying at the Montage Deer Valley resort, the awesome treatment from the hotel staff and all of the folks at Hyundai, and some of the great diversions such as trips to Sundance and Utah Olympic Park, as well as my own trail runs. What I was NOT yet able to describe was the actual drive experience. Hyundai ran…

Reviews September 7, 2012

Rolling Avenue’s iCircle for the iPad 2 and New iPad Review

Doug recently pointed out in a news post that his family has moved away from using a home theater setup to watching their own content on their own devices because of their individual tastes. That got me thinking about how much of that goes on in my family. Sure, we have 55″ LCD TV in the living room, where we watch movies, sports events and other TV shows together as a family, but we all watch streaming or stored content on our iPads, too. When watching a short YouTube video, it’s second nature just to hold the iPad, watch, and…

Reviews September 7, 2012

SwankoLab for iPhone Review

Unless I am taking a quick shot to show someone a random item, I never simply use my iPhone camera app and a raw photo. Every image taken is run through some application to reach my desired outcome. The iPhone has truly become a wonderful platform for amateur photographers. I think my love for photography stems from a young age when my father was into it and we even had a dark room at our print shop business. I can still smell the peculiar scent of the chemicals and see the red lights. The entire process always intrigued me. The…

Reviews September 6, 2012

MXL TRIO USB Condenser Microphone Review

The MacBook Pro with retina display really improved on the built-in microphones Apple had been previously using. By including dual-array mics, Apple was able to create a system that allows users to use voice and video chat without a headset. The dual-array setup is also quite useful with the built-in voice recognition that comes with OS X Mountain Lion and, while using a headset does improve the transcription accuracy when using Dragon Dictate for Mac, the dual-array system is rather impressive in its own right. Still, if you want to get high quality audio recordings from your Mac, especially if…

Game Diary, Reviews September 6, 2012

Nightmares from the Deep the Cursed Heart, Collector’s Edition HD for iPad Review

Although hidden object games (HOG) are really centered around finding items and solving puzzles, I am constantly seeking great stories and interesting characters to keep me engaged. The best games in the genre – Letters from Nowhere, Special Enquiry Detail, and so on – do this well. I find that without a cohesive and compelling story throughout I struggle through a HOG. Nightmares from the Deep: the Cursed Heart has an intriguing opening sequence and setup, but does it deliver throughout the game? Read on and see! The Hype: Set sail on a mind-boggling pirate adventure! Dive into an epic…

Reviews September 5, 2012

LifeProof nüüd Case for iPad Review

A few weeks ago, we brought word that LifeProof had finally released their new case for the iPad 2 and 3. Then, before it was actually shipping, we brought a first-look video. At the time, I was struck by the way in which the case was able to offer amazing protection while remaining relatively light. I finally had a chance to test and then use the LifeProof nüüd (more on the “testing” aspect in a bit) and… I’m impressed. Still, at an MSRP just south of $150, I suspect many will be hesitant to take the leap. If, however, you use…

News & Features, Reviews September 5, 2012

I-Mego Throne Gold Headphones Review

For anyone who reads any of my posts, you know I love me some headphones. Music and podcasts play a huge part in my life and I usually do not like to burden others with what I am listening to. I am probably not an audiophile, but I prefer my audio to be high quality. I have bought and reviewed many earbuds in the past few years and loved many of them, but for some reason I have never owned a pair of over the ear headphones. Many of my athletes have gone to this style of headphones in the…

Reviews September 4, 2012

SuperTooth MELODY Bluetooth Stereo Headphones Review

SuperTooth isn’t a well-known company here in the US. They should be. In Europe the company is extremely popular and, based on the SuperTooth Disco Bluetooth speaker we reviewed last year, they make come great products. Most recently, we’ve had a chance to check out the new SuperTooth MELODY Bluetooth Stereo headphones. These on-ear headphones are smaller than we have seen with BT on-ear products and, at $99 they have a lower price than we have seen. But at that price do they FEEL like sub-$100 headphones? Do they sound like sub-$100 headphones? Let’s take a close look. From SuperTooth:…

Reviews September 4, 2012

Sena UltraSlim for HTC ONE X Review

As much as I love using various cases – they add color, style and, often, functionality, my iPhone spends the majority of its time relatively naked. Yes, I usually have a screen protector and some sort of back protection on it but, other than that, it’s just the iPhone. My reason? Simple, I love the feel of the iPhone itself, and even the most minimalistic case adds some degree of bulk. When my iPhone is being used in this state I will either carry it in my Sena UltraSlim pouch or the Creativo Pouch we reviewed here. For about a…

Reviews September 2, 2012

Steadicam Smoothee Video Review

Some gear reviews require tons of pictures and text. Others don’t. This video look and review falls into the latter category. Why? Because the video we shot says pretty much everything that needs to be said about the Steadicam Smoothee. This is a gadget that lets you shoot video with your iPhone (or other small video devices so long as you have the proper mount) and get far smoother and better results than you would were you simply holding the phone. It works. It works well. I’m impressed. It took me a while to get fairly decent with the Steadicam…

Game Diary, Reviews September 2, 2012

Madden NFL 13 Review for PlayStation Vita

Football fans can now “win on the road” with the best portable Madden NFL football video game yet. Last year Madden debuted on the Nintendo 3DS with Madden NFL Football and now this year Madden NFL 13 debuts on the PlayStation Vita. Madden NFL 13 on the handheld PlayStation Vita console offers a nice broadcast style presentation, familiar game modes, simple controls/functions, and special action exclusive only on the Vita console. The Hype Madden NFL 13 debuts on the PlayStation Vita, delivering the ultimate NFL experience on a handheld. Become an NFL Superstar or build the league’s next Dynasty utilizing…

Game Diary, Reviews September 1, 2012

Masters of Mystery Crime of Fashion HD for iPad Review

Since two of my favorite hidden object games (HOG) for the iPad involve solving mysteries (Special Enquiry Detail and Letters from Nowhere), as soon as I heard about Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion I was intrigued. Murder, intrigue, mystery, finding objects and solving puzzles – it all sounded great. So let’s dive right in and see how it went! The Hype: Step into the world of glamor in Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion. 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…

Reviews September 1, 2012

Krebs Recycle Climbing Rope Dog Leash Review

Our dog Porter is a big boy…at his last vet visit he weighed in at 95lbs! Before you start fretting about his weight, though, mid-90s is about the right weight for him, given his height and breed (labrador/chesapeake bay retriever mix). It does mean he can be a handful on his leash though. 90% of the time he is docile and happy to trot alongside us, but if he encounters a squirrel or one of the dogs he has decided are his nemeses, it requires lots of leash pulling and wrangling to keep him in line. We used a simple…

Reviews August 31, 2012

Oberon Design Sienna Cover for the New iPad Review

In the earliest days of bookbinding, when handmade and handcut parchment pages were sewn together and bound inside richly colored covers made of leather, it was common to see elaborate hand-tooling and metalwork on a book’s exterior. Books were rare; their contents were important and often considered precious. Decorating a book’s binding was one way for an artisan to show off his skills while honoring the importance of the book being covered. Over time, like so many other things, books became mass-produced. One of the first casualties of the publishing industry was the artistic leather binding that had once been…

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