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Reviews February 24, 2011

Hewlett Packard Elitebook 2540p Laptop Review

Last year I reviewed the Hewlett Packard (HP) Elitebook 8440w Mobile Workstation, declaring it one that I would love to be able to keep and use in my daily life, and as the best business laptop I’d ever used. Well, move over 8440w – because I have a new favorite, the svelte but ultra-powerful Elitebook 2540p! The Hype: Stay connected and productive on the go—without getting weighed down. Starting at just 3.38 lb, the durable HP EliteBook 2540p is HP’s smallest and lightest EliteBook, designed for maximum portability and uncompromised performance. Ultra-portable: • Compact, lightweight design with a 12.1-inch diagonal…

Reviews, Travel February 24, 2011

SCOTTEVEST SeV Sport Coat Review

When I first heard that SCOTTEVEST was releasing a sport coat, I didn’t know what to think. I did, however, know that I wanted one. There’s no big surprise there, considering the fact that I wear something from the company pretty much each and every day. I’m grateful to SeV’s Scott Jordan for giving me the opportunity to review one of their new SeV sport coats! I have worn the review sample at various times for the last 2 1/2 weeks. I’ve worn it with jeans and boots one day and with dress pants and a tie another. I did…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear February 24, 2011

Nissan Murano: Premium Crafted Crossover

Truth be told, yes, I would much rather be writing about the new Nissan Juke or Leaf but the rep for the automaker only sent me a Murano, a crossover that has been in the Nissan lineup for a few years now. Murano was one of those vehicles that, at first glance, was polarizing – you either loved it or hated it. To be perfectly honest I was not a big fan of the original styling. But Nissan pushed forward and evolved Murano with tweaks and improvements here and there and the latest edition scores significantly higher points with me….

Reviews February 24, 2011

Ringtones Maker for iPhone Review

Just the other day I was approached by a friend who just replaced all of their family’s flip phones with iPhones. The first question she asked was, “how do my daughters make their songs into ringtones?” This is a common request from people switching to the iPhone so I decided to find a way to do this. I came across Ringtones Maker which happened to be marked down from $19.99 to free. I figured it was worth a look at that price. Ringtones Maker takes .mp3 or .m4a from your iPhone library and turns them into custom ringtones. Please remember…

Game Diary, Reviews February 23, 2011

PC Game Review: Majesty 2: Monster Kingdom

The final expansion to Majesty 2, Monster Kingdom, was originally supposed to be released in early December, but was delayed into January. I was very concerned – this was going to land it square in the midst of other releases such as Venetica and Two Worlds II. Fortunately, those games were delayed so I had the chance to spend some quality time with the final expansion to a game I have really enjoyed for the last year and a half. How did they do closing the book on Majesty 2? Read on and find out! The Hype: The King would…

Reviews February 22, 2011

iPhone Accessory Review: QYG-Power iPhone 4 Power Pack from USB Fever

I’m taking a day trip to Florida today to visit some folks who spend the winter down there. It’s going to be a long day that begins with a 6am flight (the alarm will go off before 4am), and, if everything goes according to plan will end when I get home at about midnight. Among the items coming south are both my iPhone and the MyTouch 4G I’m reviewing. I wanted to have some extra juice with me since I’ll be using my iPhone as my camera. I have a number of other external power options that I could use…

Reviews February 22, 2011

SafeWallet and SafeWallet Desktop (Android) Review

It seems like everything in life has a login,or needs a credit card or an account number. There’s tons of information to track, and you certainly don’t want to leave it open in a memo on your computer or saved casually on your phone. That’s where an app like SafeWallet comes in to help. SafeWallet, from SBSH Software, is probably familiar to anyone who came from Symbian, the iPhone or Blackberry. It’s been around for those platforms for some time, but since I have never tried it this is all new to me. Basically, the app works by creating “wallets”…

Music Diary, Reviews February 22, 2011

Music Diary Notes: Revisiting Pat Metheny Via Derek Bailey and Peter Brotzmann

A couple of weeks ago when I was reviewing Trey Gunn’s Modulator, I referenced Pat Metheny’s Zero Tolerance for Silence as forming my expectations. But as I was writing that I realized it had probably been a decade since I had listened to it and so naturally I pulled out the CD and popped it into my car for my commute to work for a few days. When Metheny released Zero Tolerance for Silence (ZtfS from here on) back in late 1992 I bought it straight-away as I tended to do back then (and still do now). I had read…

Game Diary, Reviews February 22, 2011

PC Game Review: Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga

Last year I reviewed Divinity II: Ego Draconis, noting that “I very much enjoyed Divinity II, but I also have to say it didn’t meet my hopes and expectations. After a few hours I truly loved the game, but after a few more the weaknesses started showing through.” I ended up giving it a weak ‘Buy It’ recommendation, really focusing on the audience who would naturally be biased in favor of the game. The Hype: Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga also includes the brand new adventure Flames of Vengeance, which adds dozens of hours of gameplay to the…

Reviews February 21, 2011

Mediafly Drives Apps for Ford Reality Show: Focus Rally America

If you are a devotee of reality TV programming you already know about this next event-related app/app-related event, The FocusRallyApps/Ford Focus Rally: America. Kicking off on American Idol and revisited this week on the season début of Amazing Race, the Focus Rally pits six two-person teams in brand-spanking new 2012 Ford Focus hatches driving around the country utilizing social networking to decipher a series of clues that will lead them to a grand prize of $100,000 and a new Ford Focus. Mediafly, a market leader in multi-screen media solutions is providing applications to extend the viewership to mobile and tablet…

Reviews February 21, 2011

The Aligata iPhone Leather Sleeve Review

Uncomplicated good looks, even contrasting stitching, and leather which will only get more beautiful over time as it is used … these are what you’ll get when you purchase an iPhone leather sleeve from Aligata. Don’t be fooled by the name, though; the iPhone Leather Sleeve will also fit other similarly sized phones and devices. Because he knows how much I like this combination, Tom from Aligata sent me a nude beauty sleeve with yellow stitching. This particular type leather usually comes with white stitching, but for a fee (and a little bit of prior-to-ordering discussion) you can specify other…

Reviews February 19, 2011

iPhone Accessory Review: id America Gasket Brushed Aluminum Case

It is pretty amazing to consider the variety and range of styles of iPhone cases that you can find.. There are simple silicone cases, leather cases that double as a wallet, and metal frames that suspend the iPhone in the midst of what looks like an exoskeleton. Today we’re going to take a quick look at one of the more unusual cases we’ve seen, The Gasket Brushed Aluminum Case from id America. From the Company: Conceptual inspiration: Inspired by the shape of a head gasket on a performance engine, our Gasket Brushed Aluminum Case transcends technology with its unique design…

Reviews February 19, 2011

iPad Accessory Review: The Kensington KeyFolio Wireless Keyboard Case

When the iPad was first released Apple make sure to immediately offer a keyboard dock so that people who wanted to use the device for productivity would be able to type on it with great speed and accuracy. The dock was rather expensive and because of its size, shape and weight it wasn’t the most mobile accessory. I purchased one immediately I found myself not using it all that much. This was in part because, when my iPad was in a case which is 99% of the time, the dock was unusable. It assumed the iPad was entirely naked and…

Game Diary, Reviews February 18, 2011

Super Ball Escape for iPhone/Touch Review

I have a running joke with one of my students about the iPhone being so much better than her Android phone. We joke about battery life and applications and games. The other day she was so proud to show me a new game where you tilt the phone like a board to guide a ball around a maze to. I laughed and told her IOS has plenty of games like that and some of them were much more involved than just moving the ball around the maze. She asked to see one so I searched for something cool. I stumbled…

Reviews February 18, 2011

The Mili Power King P18 External Battery Review

Word spread yesterday that Apple might be looking to radically change the makeup of the batteries they use and, if this rumor bears fruit, have batteries in their devices that last much much longer. Just imagine how great it would be to have an iPhone that gets a few DAYS of runtime!? Unfortunately it is just a rumor. Moreover, while such advances would be great they do nothing for us as we sit her using the current devices available to us. For that we need external batteries and, as the saying goes, bigger is better. We’ve looked at a few…

Game Diary, Reviews February 17, 2011

iPad Game Review: Frogs vs Storks

Sometimes there is nothing more pleasant than a casual game to pass the time. And while it seemed that all of the casual games have migrated to either Nintendo systems or Apple’s iPad and iPhone, there are still companies providing solid casual entertainment for the PC and Mac gamer. And more and more companies are providing casual games for the PC as well as iOS devices. One such game is Frogs vs. Storks, which is available for the PC, Mac and iOS devices. The Hype: Evil storks have invaded the pond!! But the frogs are putting up quite a fight!!…

Reviews February 17, 2011

TokyoFlash Kisai Sensai Pure Watch Review

The other day I reviewed TokyoFlash’s Console watch. (We will also be giving it away soon!) Today I have the opportunity to review another watch from TokyoFlash- the Kisai Sensai Pure. The Kisai Sensai Pure watch is not only unique in its design and features multicolored LED’s for telling the time. It looks more than a bit unusual and I like that! The face of the Sensai Pure has 3 different sets of LED’s and each has its own purpose. Like the Kisai Console, the Sensai Pure’s face is totally dark until you press the button to activate it. Unlike the Kisai Console,…

Game Diary, Reviews February 16, 2011

iPad Game Review: Treasure Seekers II: The Enchanted Canvases

Given how much I enjoyed the Mystery of the Crystal Portal games, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review Treasure Seekers II: The Enchanted Canvases. Like the Crystal Portal games, Treasure Seekers is a hidden object game with a story that keeps you engaged as you go along. But aside from that, how is the game? The Hype: Help Nelly find and save her brother from a mysterious Romanian castle! Dive into the castle’s magical pictures and discover the secrets of the Philosophers’ Stone. Use your Hidden Object skills in Treasure Seekers: The Enchanted Canvases to break the…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear February 15, 2011

2011 Mazda CX-9 Still a Winner

Mazda’s CX-9 is one of the automakers most award-winning vehicles, garnering North American Truck of the Year and the Motor Trend Sport Utility of the Year, amongst others.

Game Diary, Reviews February 15, 2011

Dead Space 2 Limited Edition PlayStation 3 Game Review

This survival, sci-fi sequel creates paramount entertainment as Isaac Clarke awakens only to battle through horrifying memories…oh, and endless waves of human experiments gone bad called Necromorphs.

Reviews February 15, 2011

TokyoFlash Kisai Console Watch Review

I have always admired Tokyoflash watches from afar. They have a look about them that just appeals to the geek in me. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised when Tokyoflash was able to send me one of the newest designs fresh from their site, the Kisai Console Watch. The first thing you will notice about the Kisai Console is that it’s face is entirely dark most of the time. The magic of the Kisai Console only happens once you press the button. Then the entire face lights up and certain lights flash to indicate the time. To tell the time, you just…