Wet Circuits Waterproof Power Strip Review

Next in my “Kids, don’t try this at home” series of tests I examine the power strip sent us by WetCircuits.com – the Wet Circuits Waterproof Power Strip to be precise. Initially I thought this was a joke, especially with the image they provide of a person holding a pair of metal tweezers inserted into an outlet while the power strip is energized. CRAZY. Like a fox, actually. This thing works. While I did not drop it into the bathtub with me and the rubber ducky, I did take it out to the greenhouse, a normally moist-to-wet environment that should…

eBooks, News

“The Final Edition” Looks at the End of the New York Times

Plenty of bloggers have ranted about the death of publishing and the end of newspapers…but did you ever consider what the newspaper might look like for that final run of the presses? It probably will look an awful lot like the brilliant website “The Final Edition“. The Final Edition is a satire, clearly, but it takes mocking to a whole new level. For example, check out their prose in the headline article “The New York Times, World’s Newspaper of Record, Closes Its Doors Forever“: The New York Times, since 1851 a chronicler of world history spanning three centuries has turned…

Gear Bits

iBooks to Be Carried by Lovereading.co.uk

Looking for a good book to read? Of course, you are. How are you going to find one? Well, you could hit a site like Goodreads, or you could bounce around to Amazon, B&N, Kobo, your local library…or if you could hit up Lovereading.co.uk for edited, curated recommendations AND books in every ebook format for purchase! Lovereading.co.uk was offering books in Kindle and ePUB formats for some time, and they’ve now added integration with the iBookstore! This is a UK-only deal, but it’s (as far as I know) the first time anyplace has been able to offer iBooks titles outside…

Reviews

PhoneSuit Primo Power Core Rechargeable Battery Pack for Tablets and Phones Review

Electronic devices always seem to run out of power at the most inopportune times, don’t they? Figuring out ways to keep those devices powered for as long as they are needed is key. Whether you are a regular road warrior or simply away from the office for the day, if you aren’t going to be near an outlet or power port, and if you carry multiple devices that will require energy doses at random times, carrying a portable power supply is the best option. Many times, these power supplies can best be described as bricks.

Reviews

iPod touch Accessory Review: mophie juice pack air for iPod touch 4th Generation

When mophie first released their juice pack air for the iPhone it was a revelation. At least it was a revelation for me! For the first time I could wrap my iPhone in a case that brought with it both protection and far far better battery life. A short time later the company updated the juice pack to use a soft-touch material that even made holding the iPhone a pleasure. And that was a few iPhone’s ago! Since the first juice pack came out I have had one for every iPhone I have had. In fact, my juice pack air…

Gear Bits, Music Diary

Pop Goes the Music Diary: It’s a Lonely Island Kind of a Day

As a rule my “Pop Goes the Music Diary” posts are meant to point out trends in the music business as exemplified by a song – and in general that means skewering the absurdities of the music industry. And that is likely to continue unabated. However, not all trends in popular music are negative! Way back in the 1940’s we started seeing popular comedy song recordings by Spike Jones, followed by Alan Sherman (of “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh” fame), and Ray Stevens. But as a creative genre things really took off in the 1980’s with Weird Al Yankovic, who would…

News

An Open Letter to Apple After Microsoft’s Purchase of Skype

Dear Apple, There is big news in the tech sector these days and, one way or another, you are part of all of it. Not a surprise considering the amazing growth you have maintained and the way in which you are shaping the next era of computing. It looks pretty likely that the Nuance deal that has you in a strategic partnership with the voice recognition company is a done deal. Good move! As we wrote last June, Google was eating your bacon in the voice recognition arena and you needed to do something… And fast. Okay, so it took…

News

“Blogger Baby Shower” Helps Families Hit by Tornadoes

(image courtesy Meals and Miles) One of the great things about how fast news travels is how quickly people mobilize to help in times of need. There was a huge outpouring of news and support when the tornadoes devastated parts of the south, but just because they’re out of the news cycle doesn’t mean you can’t still help! Several blogs have banded together to assist families with young kids whose lives have been impacted by the storms. Rather than ask you to donate cash, or schlep down to the post office to mail something, they’re making it super easy with…

Editorials, Gear Bits

You’ve Heard of ‘Where’s Waldo’, Now It’s Time for ‘Where’s Hillary’?

Remember seeing this ‘Situation Room’ image? The one from the White House released showing President Obama and members of his security team watching the situation with Osama Bin Laden unfold? Well, if you are a member of a certain Orthodox Hasidic Jewish sect, you would see it differently than the rest of us … sort of like this image from the Der Tzitung newspaper: Sites like Jezebel were quick to point out the fact that Hillary Clinton was gone. But I also noted that the OTHER woman was missing, something Jezebel added later. So I found out about Audrey Tomason…

Gear Bits, News

WD-40 Limited Military Collectible Series

Collections are fun. I have a collection of fountain pens still even though I rarely use pen and paper these days. I have a collection of gadgets, but that is more about my involvement with Gear Diary than anything else. And there was a point in my younger days when I collected unusual beer bottles. It was a fun collection and a great excuse to buy interesting six-packs. And since I was collecting EMPTY bottles… well you know… I’m sure dad was onto the scam, but he went along anyway. Thanks, dad! Yes, collections are fun, and when the…

News

B-Squares Makes Solar Power Flexible

Kickstarter allows some really cool projects to become reality by giving startups the opportunity to be funded by small, individual commitments of support. (I know a few of us on the site have helped fund some projects and took great satisfaction in being part of something new. It also doesn’t hurt that sometimes the funding also yields an early units of whatever is being created. ) One project that I really hope becomes reality is B-Square’s Modular Solar Powered electrics. B-squares are solar power cells that have magnetic connectors at each corner for connecting one solar panel to another. Since there…

Editorials

2000 Posts and Counting: A 2001 a Gear Odyssey

(Huge thanks to Mike for the idea and the title) Last night I posted my 2000th post on Gear Diary. Yes, since I joined the writing staff of the site in July of 2008 I have written 2000 posts. (With this one 2001.) My very first post was a review of the mStation 2.1 Stereo Tower. My second post was a brief revisit to the Beyza Thinvelope for MacBook Air, a case Judie had previously reviewed. My next posts were of iPod and iPhone cases as well as a review of an external battery for the iPhone. I mention these…

Reviews

Review: Belkin Conserve Insight

With the economy in the state it is in we are trying to conserve what we spend anyway we can. Whether we are turning the thermostat down, turning off lights or buying compact fluorescent bulbs that use less electricity, we are all trying to save what we can on our electric bill. All of this got me wondering: how much power your laptop really uses? How about my TV? Do compact fluorescent bulbs really save any money over standard incandescent bulbs? With Belkin’s new Conserve Insight finding the answers was simple. The device is simple and easy to use. All you…

News, Reviews

Retro Camera Android App Review

I recently noticed an influx of funky old-timey photos on Facebook. After asking around, it appears that most people I know are using Retro Camera. According to Urbian (the developer), the app lets you take “delicious old-school pics your friends will drool over” and it delivers an “off-the-hip analog look.” Now, in general I consider myself to be pretty cool, but I am a far cry from a hipster. I own neither over-sized 1980s glasses nor a t-shirt depicting three wolves howling at the moon. Regardless, I felt compelled to give it a try. I installed it on my Droid…

Gear Bits

Google’s Chrome Ad Is a Tear-Jerker

Ok, maybe it’s just me (and Sarah!) We’re tired, it was a long, exhausting weekend. We were watching TV when the new Google Chrome commercial came on. In seconds we were both a bit teary-eyed. It was sweet. It was dorky. It was really, really brilliant. Yes, instead of taking the obvious path and focusing on specific Google services such as Gmail, it showcases the way memories can be saved. Its message, ” This isn’t about Google Chrome it is about you, your life and the stuff that matters!”

Reviews

BlackBerry Playbook Case Review: Case-Mate Barely There

I’m a huge fan of minimalist cases and that tends to hold true for pretty much every device I use. I want something as thin as possible on my iPhone 4. I want something that doesn’t add too much bulk to my iPad 2. And I want to get a case for the BlackBerry PlayBook RIM gave out at the launch event that adds some protection but doesn’t remove the key advantage this “completely and totally unfinished but still has potential” device has over the iPad and other 10″ tablets: its small size and light weight. That’s where Case-Mate’s Barely…

Reviews

Audio Accessory Review: iSkin earTones Earbuds

Every now and then a product comes in for review that surprises me… in a good way! That’s the case with iSkin’s new earTone earbuds. They are bright, colorful earbuds that use the company’s Microband, a technology that inhibits the growth of odor, fungus and stain-causing bacteria on the earbuds and remote. At an MSRP of $39.99 I figured the earbuds, which come in a rainbow of colors, were largely a fashion-statement product with the Microband as an add-on for extra hype. I was wrong. The little things sound fantastic, are super-comfortable and, at under $40, they are a great choice…

Gear Bits, News

DoubleTwist Brings AirPlay to Android

I really like Apple’s AirPlay which allows you to use your Mac or iOS device to stream video or music to an Apple TV, powered speakers connected to an AirPort Express or one of the growing number of AirPlay enabled speaker systems. (In fact we have reviews of two such systems on the way.) I have expanded the “reach” of AirPlay in my home so that it is now available in four different rooms. I have, however, resisted jumping fully in because I don’t want to be completely and totally locked into Apple’s ecosystem. (Like I’m not totally locked in…

Game Diary, Reviews

iPhone/iPad Game Review: Legendary Wars

I have a long-standing love of ‘tower defense’ (TD) games, so when there was an opportunity to check out Legendary Wars from Liv Games, there was only one possible answer: YES! Let’s see how they did! The Hype: Welcome to Legendary Wars. Take command of your heroes. Build up massive armies to destroy the undead forces of the Netherworld! It’s time to fight back! Legendary Wars Features: -Huge world to Explore -Unique Gameplay: Action-RTS-RPG -Gorgeous Retina graphics and animation -ZOMG Monsters! -New gear and attacks -Epic Soundtrack The Reality: Legendary Wars isn’t strictly a TD game – but most games…

News

On This Mother’s Day …

Mom, my brother Mark & me September 1970, in Camp Kue, Okinawa Sometimes it is hard to imagine the fact that our mothers had a whole different life before they became parents … but they did! My mom, Sarah Kate, was born to parents who were both from pioneer Texas families. Mom grew up riding horses on her family’s ranch. She traveled the western United States with her mother and brother, exploring national monuments and state parks. She had pen pals in foreign countries, some of whom she corresponded with for years. She grew up watching and learning from strong…

« 1 … 573 574 575 576 577 … 751 »