Reviews

Double chins, losing hair, gold paint around your mouth? Airbrushdate spins your (booking) photos into online dating gold!

Reviews June 15, 2008

Double chins, losing hair, gold paint around your mouth? Airbrushdate spins your (booking) photos into online dating gold!

Has this ever happened to you? While browsing your favorite online message forum someone drops right into (and out of) the conversation with a one or two sentence spammy message? These people never contribute anything to the conversation except for a blatant advertisement. This is what happened to me last week. Someone dropped right into a active discussion with the one sentence message. Want a better online dating profile – try At this point my curiosity got the better of me. I knew that Judie was doing a rather extensive series about Online Dating. So why not see if this…

XID Face LogOn XPress Review: The Future Is Now!

Reviews June 14, 2008

XID Face LogOn XPress Review: The Future Is Now!

In the future, everyone will drive flying cars (that fold up into a briefcase.  In the future, computers will prepare our meals instantly.  In the future, robots will do all of the household chores.   And in the future, there will be no passwords.  Instead,will access our data sing biometric security features.  No, that does not mean you will have super strength or x-ray vision.  (I wish).  What we are talking about today is biometric, not bionic.  And XID is taking us a huge leap forward in this area with their facial recognition software, Face LogOn XPress.   They still can’t promise…

The La Fresh Tech Pack Review

Reviews June 12, 2008

The La Fresh Tech Pack Review

When at home or in the office it’s generally not a problem to reach for the industrial size container of whatever cleaner you might need as situations occur. But when on the go, it is hardly ever practical to carry along samples of the various cleaning products you might wish for throughout the day. To the rescue comes La Fresh, with their Tech Pack. Let’s peek inside and see if this is something you might be willing to throw in your bag…

USBFever iPod/iPhone FM Transmitter Review

Reviews June 12, 2008

USBFever iPod/iPhone FM Transmitter Review

There isn’t an easier way to get your iPod’s sound out to a car stereo than using an FM transmitter. No wires, no cassette adapters, just plug it in, tune your radio to the right station and out comes your music. Problem is at lot of the time they are rubbish. I have tried several over the years and none of them could produce a clear signal at any time, it was constantly crackly and awful. A few days ago when I received the USB Fever FM Transmitter I was expecting more of the same, but I was pleasantly surprised.

First Drive: 2009 Ford Flex

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear June 12, 2008

First Drive: 2009 Ford Flex

Over the past week, Grinding Gears editor David Goodspeed has been privileged to drive a pair of all-new vehicles from Ford and Lincoln, both of which will arrive in dealerships this summer. The first stop was Washington, D.C., for the 2009 Lincoln MKS. That was the trip whose highlights included a visit to a winery, a sneak peek at a future Lincoln, outrunning tornados, a dead turtle and not quite making it back to our starting point. All-in-all a very memorable trip. And a great new Lincoln. Next stop: LA – Santa Monica to be precise – for the launch…

Review: Digital Concepts Portable Lighting Studio

Reviews June 11, 2008

Review: Digital Concepts Portable Lighting Studio

Have you ever had to take pictures of something you were selling on eBay, but you kept getting a horrible glare from the flash  I have had this happen many a time, and I have even had to struggle with this when taking pictures of things I review.  Well, I will struggle no more now that I have the Digital Concepts Lighting Studio, sent to me from Sakar International. As you can see by the picture, this is the smaller version of the studio suitable for taking pictures of smaller things like iPods, LED Headlights and Watches. 

Review: Insignia Pilot 8GB and the Insignia Bluetooth Headphones

Reviews June 10, 2008

Review: Insignia Pilot 8GB and the Insignia Bluetooth Headphones

I have a confession to make: I am a iPod owner who dislikes his iPod. I don’t hate the iPod; quite the contrary, I really like it but am frustrated by it’s caretaker, Apple. For everything Apple has done right, there’s lots of things that it has done wrong. For example, if you look at the files on the iPod itself you’ll see undecipherable file names for each of your music files. Plus there’s Apple’s Love/Hate relationship with DRM. Then there’s codec limitations. You can listen to MP3, AAC,Protected AAC, Apple Lossless, Audible, WAV and AIFF, but what about open…

The Sony Walkman Review: Now with Bluetooth

Reviews June 7, 2008

The Sony Walkman Review: Now with Bluetooth

There it was.  At last!  Writ large upon the outer wrapping of the new Sony NWZ-A828K Digital Media Player (which most of you will know as a Walkman).  There were the words I have longed to hear from a media player for so many years.  The box read: WIRELESS. Enjoy music wirelessly with the supplied Bluetooth stereo headset. Yes, that is right folks.  This will be my first media player review without the patented Bluetooth rant.  And really, having found a media player with Bluetooth, I might as well end the review right here.  Nice job, Sony!  But no, as…

Choosing an Online Dating Site

Reviews June 7, 2008

Choosing an Online Dating Site

All the lonely people Where do they all come from? All the lonely people Where do they all belong? – “Eleanor Rigby”, by Paul McCartney I don’t think that anyone necessarily plans to be alone and lonely; sometimes it just happens. Perhaps it’s because they got caught up in a career race, or they live somewhere with a limited dating pool. Maybe they’ve been dating the wrong person, they’re divorced, or perhaps it’s because they have simply postponed couplehood until nearly everyone they know is paired up, and the ones who aren’t simply don’t look appealing. However it happens, there…

Kensington C170 Keyboard with USB Ports REVIEW

Reviews June 6, 2008

Kensington C170 Keyboard with USB Ports REVIEW

Is it time to replace the keyboard that came with your original desktop? Or perhaps the white keyboard that came with your iMac is so junked up that a black keyboard might be a nice alternative… The Kensington C170 Keyboard with USB Ports is the newest offering from Kensington. This keyboard features three built-in 2.0 USB ports; one on the back and at the top rear along the back concealed behind a sliding door which also houses a mini-USB connector.

The Newer Tech Guardian MAXimus RAID Mirrored Data Redundant Solution Review

Reviews June 5, 2008

The Newer Tech Guardian MAXimus RAID Mirrored Data Redundant Solution Review

Do any of us need any more signs to be written on any more walls that redundant backing up of our data is the single most important thing we can possibly do? I hope not, because it seems that hardly a day goes by without another harsh reminder being driven home that it is imperative. Just this weekend many of us read with horror about the colossal explosion at The Planet, which affected over 9000 servers. Did you catch that? Servers, not sites. Although most of the servers suffered no data loss, that was not true in all cases. My…

Nokia N82 Review

Reviews June 4, 2008

Nokia N82 Review

Over 6 months ago I reviewed Nokia’s flagship phone, the N95 8GB, which I thought was fantastic. It was essentially a refresh of the N95 (which I wasn’t enamoured with), fixing the built quality, battery life, and a few other niggly little things that turned me off. Since then the N95 8GB has been my main phone. I was surprised to find myself switching back to it after less than a month of owning the BlackJack II, that’s how much I liked it. Over the last week I’ve been using the N82, which is basically an N95 inside a candy-bars…

First Two Days Out With The Eee

Reviews June 3, 2008

First Two Days Out With The Eee

I wasn’t planning to write about my experience with the Eee this soon but I’m so excited about this thing I just couldn’t wait. Yesterday morning I headed out the door with just the Eee in my bag, leaving the MacBook Pro on my desk at home. While it probably isn’t as good for my self-imposed weight loss program, it did feel nice to have a lighter bag. I chucked the AC adaptor in my bag so I could charge the unit up at university should I need to. On the train I hooked up my USB HSDPA modem so…

HTC Advantage X7510 Review

Reviews June 2, 2008

HTC Advantage X7510 Review

When I first began my adventure into mobile technology, it started with Handheld PCs. H/PCs, as they are known, were made from the late 90s to 2003 by a variety of manufacturers, most notably NEC and Hewlett Packard. The devices were more-often-than-not a clamshell form factor, with a built-in keyboard and VGA or HVGA screens. They were powerful and business friendly, especially in light of the fact that at that time, Pocket PCs (as they were known) did not have built in keyboards. Through a variety of market changes and marketing blunders, the H/PC soon became a non-factor in the…

The i-mate Ultimate 8502 Unboxed and Discussed

Reviews June 2, 2008

The i-mate Ultimate 8502 Unboxed and Discussed

This is one i-mate model which I think a lot of people have been eager to explore, the Ultimate 8502 which features a full QWERTY thumbboard on its lower half. Those who prefer the Treo or BlackJack form factor will appreciate the 8502’s candy bar style as well as the fact that using the keyboard does not require rotating the device 90? to the left and then sliding it open. In other words, this is the type device people who text and drive generally prefer; not that I would ever do such a thing… All pictures are thumbnails, you can…

The iwavecube™ personal microwave REVIEW

Reviews June 1, 2008

The iwavecube™ personal microwave REVIEW

With Father’s Day rapidly approaching, here’s a way to affirm him with a unique desktop gadget – the iwavecube™ personal microwave. While Dad is toiling away in his home away from home, having his very own personal microwave in his cubicle will certainly bring immeasurable joy. Considering how nasty shared use office kitchen microwaves can be, he’ll appreciate your thoughtfulness. With a iwavecube™ personal microwave in the corner of his 8×8 cubicle, Ole Dad could be sipping on some reheated Starbucks coffee, a SmartOne or instant soup for lunch; or freshening the air with popcorn while reviewing TPS Reports.

The i-mate Ultimate 6150 Unboxed and Discussed

Reviews May 31, 2008

The i-mate Ultimate 6150 Unboxed and Discussed

Meet the Ultimate 6150. As you may recall, this was the device that I felt was the most “old-school PDA-like” back in January when I first saw it, because it didn’t have a built-in keyboard or an extended numeric pad. Instead, the 6150 has a relatively clean front panel. But as usual, I am getting ahead of myself; let’s start with the unboxing… All pictures are thumbnails, you can click on them to enlarge; a gallery with even more photos is at the end.

Ivideosongs.com Review: The Website Every Budding Musician Needs to See!

Reviews May 29, 2008

Ivideosongs.com Review: The Website Every Budding Musician Needs to See!

I still remember when I started seriously playing the guitar.  I was in seventh grade.  At that time, we were given a choice of band, chorus, or guitar.  But you had to pick one.  Well, by then I had already determined that I was done with the clarinet, so I would not be joining the band.  And I had no illusions about my ability to sing  (I was always the kid in my fourth grade concert who stood in the back lip syncing).  So, it was off to guitar for me, and I was pretty excited about it.  I mean,…

Review: Coghlan's 0.5 W LED Headlight

Reviews May 28, 2008

Review: Coghlan’s 0.5 W LED Headlight

After writing the review for the Coghlan’s LED Micro Lantern, Coghlan’s offered to send me 2 new LED headlights to review.  Today I am going to take a look at the 0.5 Watt LED Headlight from Coghlan’s. The wattage of this headlight is serious. If you need to be able to see anywhere you point your head at night, then you should get this light.