I’ve found my favorite smart home controller and its name is Brilliant. With a name like that, it could be difficult to live up to the hype, but the features and performance do just that. With a vivid touch screen display, Amazon Alexa built-in, and lots of smart home device integrations, it’s difficult to beat the Brilliant home control.
I usually upgrade my iPhone every year but The iPhone X was an exception. I had it for a full two years. Most of that time it was protected in a Pitaka MagCase Judie had reviewed. When I had my new iPhone 11 on the way, I knew I needed to protect it with something similar; I ordered a MagCase from Pitaka.
Google recently released the latest and final beta of Android Q (version 10 for those keeping track at home) for Pixel devices to test drive prior to the general production release in the coming weeks. I decided to take the plunge with this final beta (Beta 6), and it’s been marvelous!
Judie has a Google Pixel 3XL and loves it. And why wouldn’t she? The phone is fast, has a gorgeous screen and, by all reports, has the camera to beat. Currently $699, that’s a good $200 less than it was initially. The Pixel 3a has a similar design, costs just $399, and it is a problem.
Like many people my age, I grew up using Windows, and then later on in my life dabbled with OS X devices for quite some time as well. That was the world of personal computing that I knew, loved, and maybe sometimes hated. I grew accustomed to the frequent updates, drivers, and protection needed to keep Windows in tip-top shape.
Were you super intrigued by the Samsung Galaxy Fold but skeptical about the benefits in a phone-size product? Lenovo is taking a whack at folding screens with a new Thinkpad X1 folding prototype-basically, a folding laptop. That runs full Windows. If it works, this is a game changer.
You have to hand it to Samsung, they are nothing if not persistent in sticking with their AI assistant named Bixby. They even continue to have dedicated physical buttons on the new Samsung Galaxy S10 devices like the S10e I recently reviewed. Now there’s an easy way to take back the button and use it for an actually useful Assistant – Google’s.
If you have an Android phone, you’ll generally know when fast charging is occurring because an on-screen message lets you know. On the iPhone, the only way to tell that fast wireless charging is occurring is to observe how quickly your phone charges during a time period (no, really). Apple fast wireless charging happens at 7.5W and Samsung’s happens at 10W; the Just Mobile AluBase Wireless can handle both.
![[FUSE]chicken Universal All-In-One Travel Charger Is Everything You Need on the Go](https://geardiary.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/624211AB-93B9-43C0-9CC7-115A74849E6C-260x146.jpeg "[FUSE]chicken Universal All-In-One Travel Charger Is Everything You Need on the Go 12")
I have two gear pouches, a small one for every day and a large one for travel. Each carries an external battery and a wall adapter for charging. Thanks to the [FUSE]chicken Universal All-In-One Travel Charger, I can swap the two gadgets for a single one, as this is a wall adapter and a Qi charging battery.
Mobile World Congress has just wrapped up, and wow — it was a doozy. So many new devices were announced, and there was never a dull moment. We were in Barcelona for the event, and it was tough knowing that we could only pick 10 for our ‘best of’, but here they are — Gear Diary’s Best of Mobile World Congress 2019!
The big news out of MWC 2019 has been folding phones, but they’re so last week. Nubia Alpha is the next big thing, because it’s your phone, your smartwatch, AND a stylish bit of jewelry!
To kick off MWC 2019, Alcatel is announcing some exciting new affordable devices, the Alcatel 3, 3L, 1S, and their 3T tablet. We also got a sneak peek at some of their exciting new screen prototypes!
At MWC 2019, if you didn’t bring a folding screen of some kind to show the press, then you brought a knife to a gunfight! Huawei brought a big gun, however, and the new Huawei Mate X is a spectacular example of a folding screen done right.
If the thought of slapping a plastic case on your Pixel 3 XL doesn’t exactly appeal, you’ll be happy to know that there are other options. KerfCase makes beautiful and protective cases made from sustainable wood with no seams or interlocking parts; KerfCases are stylish and slim, and they don’t hamper wireless charging or the Pixel’s active edge feature.
Remember the days when ribbon cable was popular? Okay, maybe you’re too young to remember its popularity, but if you’ve cracked open a computer, you’ve likely seen flat ribbons connecting drives to the motherboard. While flat cables are still used to connect components inside certain devices, they’re no longer used externally. Cable styles have shifted along with technology, leaning toward the thin side.
Wirelessly charging your devices may seem pointless to some skeptics, especially if you have a habit of checking your phone while charging, but if you’re looking for a great way to get full battery life without wires laying around everywhere, Choetech’s PowerDual 5-Coil Dual Fast Wireless Charger may be the way to go.
Looking for an all-in-one solution to browsing, searching, and navigating your TV menu? Look no further than the Logitech K600 Smart TV remote. We’ve had the opportunity to test it out for ourselves and it’s one of the best solutions to typing with your television and getting things done faster.
Some months ago I had the opportunity to review the Honor View 10 smartphone. I was impressed with pretty much every aspect of the device and even more impressed by its price which brings it in at about half of what you pay for a new iPhone. Honor has done some amazing things with even lower cost devices, and today we’re looking at the Honor 8X.
As the end of 2018 was beginning to coming into view, OnePlus made it clear that the year was still had some life left. They released the OnePlus 6T, their mid-year iterative update that takes the best of their most recent model and further refines it. The phone won immediate acclaim, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts.
The Scosche MagicMount Charge3 Vent is promising to be an innovative new take on wirelessly charging your devices on-the-go while attached to a vehicle’s vent — say goodbye to blocked airflow!
I finally traded my iPad Pro for the new, home button-less iPad Pro 11”. It is an amazing device that is faster than ever, has a larger, brighter display than ever and a new, updated design. Sadly, the new iPad lost the 3.5mm headphone jack. Thankfully, there is the new $59.99 Satechi Aluminum Type-C Mobile Pro Hub.