Reviews

What’s My Heart Rate Measures by Just Looking at the Screen!

This morning I was feeling great after we got a lot of outdoor time and exercise due to the unseasonably warm weather this weekend, and I really pushed myself on my morning jog (based on my speed I can’t bring myself to call it a ‘run’), and so by the time I got home I was really winded. I checked my heart rate to be sure I was in my normal range before doing my indoor workout. Imagine if I could just check my heart rate anywhere I went using my smartphone and just having it look at my face!…


Pimp Your Screen – Your Device Never Looked Cooler for iPhone/Touch and iPad

We all know that iOS is not the king of customization, but sometimes a little change is a breath of fresh air. I have been through the jailbreak stage with plenty of themes and fancy alternate icons, each time causing my phone to become deathly slow. About the only way iOS users can set their devices apart is through custom lock screens and backgrounds. It is fun to have some pictures of my kids or a cool Apple background, but it still is not exactly custom. As I scoured the app store this week I came across a little gem…


Vintage Camera app a real ‘Square’

In it’s first month of availability, Vintage Camera, a simple, straightforward photography app, was downloaded by more than 3 million users and was one of the most downloaded free apps during the holiday season. Vintage Camera, developed by Presselite, is available for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad and requires iOS 4.0 and later. It is offered as a free download in base form with the professional version priced at just 99 cents in the Apple App Store. Vintage Camera, now in version 1.2, utilizes a square format for image capture and offers choice of after effects the user can…




Raptor M3 DKT Gaming Mouse Offers High Precision at a Great Price

When it comes to making a great gaming mouse, only one thing matters: precision. Precision and feel. OK, so I am not going to continue the ‘Spanish Inquisition’ line, but suffice to say that unlike just a few years ago there are many hurdles to making a successful gaming mouse. Let’s see how Raptor did! The Hype: The optical sensor of the M3 operates with precision accuracy at ultra-fast speeds up to 500Hz and 1600 dpi, and the dpi settings can be adjusted to 3 different levels: 400 dpi, 800 dpi, and 1600 dpi. The extra large Teflon mouse sliders…


The Bard’s Tale for iPad Adds Classic Bard’s Tale from 1985!

I am still finishing up my dual review of The Bard’s Tale – I had been working through the PC game for a retrospective review when the iOS version launched, so I have now completed both! But the game just got a HUGE update that makes it a more compelling buy than ever – and trust me, it is already a great game! Here are the notes from the update: New Features: • Includes the original classic game The Bard’s Tale I: Tales of the Unknown! • Earn free gold through TapJoy offers! Spend gold on in-app-purchases, or buy in-game…


DBEST London Duo Bluetooth Rechargeable Mini-Speaker Set Review

The other day we looked at one of two DBest speaker sets I have been using for the past week and a half. Here’s what DBest has to say about their products: The most important thing in music are not the lyrics, but the way of receiving. The way music is transferred determines how much we like our music. To be short: the better the quality of our speakers, the better we can enjoy music! DBest speakers provide premium sound quality that is considered the finest in the world. This way they can give you maximum pleasure listening to your…


The Knack – Get The Knack (Pop, 1979), Vinyl Re-Visions

The Knack – Get The Knack As a disclaimer, this album isn’t actually ‘mine’ – or at least I didn’t buy it. My brother grabbed it back in 1979 and it got heavy play from him that I honestly have a hard time separating which songs were actually popular on radio. When my parents were getting ready to move out of the first house they had bought when were just little kids and move south, they packed up all of my large record collection and I grabbed it in boxes and bags and moved it into a closet in our…


Skullcandy 2011 Chops Buds review

We reviewed the Skullcandy Fix In-Ear last summer. (Read the full review.) The $69.99 earbuds sound quite good and I continue to enjoy using them. The company happens to make earbuds in a variety of price-ranges and that includes the $19.99 Skullcandy Chop Buds. For under $20, though, how good can the things actually be? Add in the fact that these “sport” buds have a fairly rigid ear loop and it isn’t difficult to imagine that they are both uncomfortable AND mediocre. BUT are they? Read on.


Lightweight Portable Security Linux: The DoD’s Linux Distro

Michael posted about the NSA’s version of Android complete with its own app store.  Well, the NSA is not the only government agency looking at bringing out their own version of an open source product.  The Department of Defense has one too in the form of a über lightweight version of Linux called Lightweight Portable Security or LPS Linux. I created a virtual machine using Virtual Box intending on doing an install, but LPS Linux is a live Linux distribution.  That means, you either burn the freely downloadable image to a CD or you make your own bootable USB drive…


Virtual City Playground for Kindle Fire Delivers City Builder Goodness!

Recently I reviewed Virtual City for the Kindle Fire, finding it the first mis-step in the franchise for me – while the content was there, the performance was laggy on my Kindle Fire even compared to the normal Android version. Since I had loved the Android version of Virtual City Playground, my big concern was that Virtual City playground would suffer the same fate – so let me assure you that it does NOT. Virtual City Playground brings the full Virtual City experience, and is a pleasure to play! Let’s take a look! The Hype: Virtual City Playground allows you…


LifeProof Belt Clip, Bike and Bar Mount, and GoPro Mount for iPhone 4S Video Review

; We reviewed the LifeProof case for the iPhone 4 and 4S a short while ago. (You can read the full review here.) The LifeProof case is intended for people who lead a busy, often rugged, life. After all, it is water, crush, dust and… life proof. (It is, however, thin and light enough for any and everyone to use.) Since it is perfect for a variety of activities it only makes sense that the company would offer a number of different cradles for keeping the case… and your iPhone… safe and secure. Here’s a video look at three of…


DBest Solo Bluetooth Mini Speaker Review

Since getting my JawBone JamBox some months ago I’ve had a “thing” for small Bluetooth speakers. Most recently I’ve been using two offerings from DBest. Here’s what DBest has to say about their products: The most important thing in music are not the lyrics, but the way of recieving. The way music is transferred determines how much we like our music. To be short: the better the quality of our speakers, the better we can enjoy music! DBest speakers provide premium sound quality that is considered the finest in the world. This way they can give you maximum pleasure listening…


‘Murder by Proxy: How America Went Postal’ is an Idea Worth Contemplating, a Documentary Worth Seeing

The phrase ‘going postal’ has become such an entrenched part of our cultural identity that it faces the possibility of losing any real meaning. Case in point: my son mentioned that his best friend’s girlfriend had broken up with him, and he ‘totally went postal’ in the locker room – which to him just meant that he flipped out. But for those of us who have been around longer, the phrase has a more specific meaning tied to workplace violence in which someone unleashes a murderous rampage. It started in the mid-1980s in a string of Post Office shootings, but…


Voxer Walkie-Talkie PTT For iPhone/Touch

I am sure, like me, few of you are ever without your phone. Basically, we have all come to rely on the ability to contact each other 24 hours a day. Texting is probably the easiest since a quick message can easily be sent with the understanding that the receiver will answer at fist convenience. Sometimes a text just does not convey a message that requires a certain tone. A small group of my hunting buddies like to communicate via voice messages. It is not always convenient to call and leave the message, so we rely on phone apps. After…


JustMobile Encore for iPad and Other Tablets Review

We’ve become big fans of JustMobile’s offerings. The company has a great way of merging sleek aesthetics with a high degree of functionality. This time out we are taking a look at the JustMobile Encore stand for iPad and other tablets. Let’s take a look.


Eton Axis Self-Powered Radio Review

This past year Sarah and I have been very lucky. While our town did flood, it only necessitated the power being out for around 15 hours. Many of my coworkers and friends north of us had it much worse, with power outages lasting anywhere from 24 hours to 5 days! Unfortunately, the modern world isn’t really conducive to going off-grid. Cell phones need juice, you need access to the news, a clock to see what time it is, and of course, an alarm clock if you plan on heading to work! That’s where having a radio like the Eton Axis…


Music Diary Notes: My ‘Baker’s Dozen’ Best New Jazz Albums of 2011

For as long as I can recall something about music has been dying – I remember hearing ‘Long Live Rock’ as a kid on the radio when rock was more vibrant than ever; lived through the death of disco and the crash & burn of punk, new wave, new age, retro-50’s, retro-60’s, retro-70’s and now retro-80’s, grunge, glam-rock, hair-metal, screamo, and on and on and on. Yet music never really dies – listening to Skrillex I hear so many of the traditions of techno and dance music from well before Sonny Moore was born reflected through his creations. The same…


Fly with Me for iPhone/Touch

  We have all flung birds at enemy pigs and used our tiny wings to navigate the hills of an unknown world but how many of us actually get to fly on our iOS device? Do not ask me to explain it, but bird games seem to be fun. As I was scouring the Appstore trying to bring you the best of the bargain apps, Fly With Me jumped at me. I knew being from EA and having a bird as the main character I could not go wrong. The app is actually free as of this writing, on sale…


Metalix Snap-On Cover for iPhone 4S

Qmadix was kind enough to send three of their new iPhone cases for review. I thought we might take a quick look at each one. Here in Part 2 we’ll look at the Metalix Snap-On Cover for iPhone 4S. If you like the look of a metal case but also like the grip offered by a textured rubber case this just might be the iPhone protection for you.