One thing that frustrates a lot of people about home security systems is the fact that many still need to be plugged into a physical outlet in order to actually work, at all times. This could be troublesome if you don’t have a furniture to hide the cables, or if you’re outlets are already full.
If you have an extra $499.99 laying around, and might be in the market for a robotic vacuum that you can get to do your chores for you, the Neato Botvac Connected is the top tier option for you! Neato sent us over a unit to use, and it’s been my personal maid ever since. Neato Robotics has become one of the leaders in the competition to out duel iRobot’s Roomba when it comes to robotic vacuums, and they have me hooked with their Botvac Connected. Prior to receiving the Botvac, I suffered the first world problems of having to physically plug my standard vacuum…
Ever since 2015, I’ve been using TripIt exclusively as my “go-to” travel app. So even though I use my iPhone as my daily driver, I made certain to update my Samsung Galaxy as TripIt’s most recent update has landed support for Android Wear, on top of having a brand new design!
The Libratone ZIPP was one of my all-time favorite speakers. It looked great, sounded amazing, and let you customize the look with exchangeable covers. With portable AirPlay it was as close to the perfect speaker for an iOS-user as you could find. Now Libratone has rebooted the ZIPP and they are offering the smaller, and less expensive, Libratone ZIPP MINI. The new Libratone line has a new look. It’s more curvy than before and has a zipper that runs around the circumference of the speaker, rather than running vertically as it did with the original. The ZIPP MINI has an…
As a huge fan of using Speedtest.net to test the speeds of my internet connection, both on Wi-Fi and LTE, I’ve always seen ads for Speedify and wondered exactly what the program would do to actually help speed up my performance. So when I had the opportunity to review the iOS app for Speedify, I was intrigued. Now just to start, I am by no means a wireless networking guru, but I do find myself frustrated with a slow connection. Recently I’ve been traveling a lot, which means plenty of hotels with crappy internets speeds, and pricy “upgrades” for “less-crappy-but-still-not-good”…
There are a lot of email apps out there in the app store that feel as though they are helping out your productivity, but none are quite like Email by EasilyDo, a new mail app that not only will help you get your inbox emptied, it will also help you in terms of your productivity. Over the past month in a private beta, I’ve been testing out Email by EasilyDo, and it’s become a fixture on my home screen. I’ve tested many other email apps, and other than the native mail app and Google’s own “Inbox”, there are certain things that I…
The Kodak Baby Monitoring System is one of the most thoughtfully designed baby monitors I’ve used. It’s aesthetically pleasing, blending in with any décor, and has a slew of high-tech features including a 180-degree camera with HD video quality, 2-way audio talkback, night vision, a touchless night light, and an intuitive mobile app from Tend. The CFH-BVA10 retails for $199.99.
I have a Nest Cam setup in my living room which notifies me every time something moves or makes a sound. I love it and even though at $199 it’s not the least expensive camera you’ll find, I do like that it displays an image within my Nest app alongside my thermostats and Nest Protect.
With SXSW quickly approaching, there will be a lot of people out there packing their bags up to get down to Austin, Texas. Once you get down there, sure you’ll be around plenty of panels, parties and amazing food, but how will you stay connected knowing there will be thousands of people all in attendance?
IK Multimedia released a product recently that will prove to bring out your inner composer. Miroslav Philharmonik 2 brings a concert hall full of musicians and allows them to be directed and composed on your computer. The virtual orchestra utilizes over 2700 instruments sampled in high-definition audio. Read on to get more information and check back soon for the review!
Sleep and I have a sometimes erratic relationship. Some nights I deal with insomnia, and I might sleep 4 or 5 hours at best; other nights I’ll need to catch up on sleep so badly that I’ll pass out for 12 or more hours. Ideally, I should get 8 hours sleep per night. Obviously, what I’ve been doing isn’t ideal.
Judie and I received Huawei Mate 8 smartphones at CES 2016. The phablet is amazing but won’t work with our Apple Watches. We also picked up the amazing Withings Activité Steel Fitness Watch. It’s a great tracker but doesn’t do notifications. Fortunately, the Ditto notifier fills in that gap in a manner that is both inexpensive and discrete.
Announced today at CES, uControl, Inc. is finally unveiling the QKey, which is the first chip and PIN device for securing online payments using the same security chip you might’ve seen in the credit and debit cards that you use today. With technology pending a patent, the QKey will be a great substitute to the chip and pen payment card, virtually eliminating the need to remember those difficult passwords that you probably have stashed in a notepad somewhere. “Virtual security has proven that without physical involvement by the consumer we just cannot be protected the way we need or deserve….
Earlier this year, you might have taken a look at Michael’s review of the iBRIDGE product by Leef. A great product, Leef decided to follow it up with their latest innovation to please users that might have wanted a bit more from their external storage. The iAccess iOS microSD reader Port by Leef is a mobile memory thumb drive that’s there for you when you get that alert that your phone’s internal memory is getting low. The entire premise of the Leef iAccess over the iBridge is to give users the option of using a microSD card to store their…
The Anova Precision Cooker is, in essence, a high-quality consumer-grade sous-vide water circulator. It is dipped into your own cooking vessel and it heats and circulates the water to a very precise temperature, gently cooking whatever is placed in the water bath. It features WiFi and Bluetooth connections for simple control via iPhone and sells for $199.
The Synology DS1515 is an incredibly versatile and powerful NAS. The feature that intrigued me is its ability to be a fully functional surveillance system. The Synology DS1515 sells for $599.99 on Amazon as of the time of this writing.
The Holiday Sales in the iOS, Windows and Google Play app stores have kicked in this week – just check out any of the stores for amazing deals. Amongst these deals are some great adventures from G5 Games at up to 80% off – and one of my favorite hidden object games for FREE!
When a small app company is gobbled up, there are only a few options: the app fits well and expands the breadth of the parent company, or there is technology added to a core product and the product is eventually killed off, or the app just languishes while the new employees are tasked with other projects. Guess where Mailbox falls?
As an Architect in the digital age, I have to review, mark up, and collaborate on construction documents every day, sometimes on the go. BluVue looks like an awesome mobile construction software that allows you to manage, distribute, annotate, and share plans digitally with any iPhone, iPad, or Android device. You can check it out today with a free trial.
The IK Multimedia iRig Acoustic is something totally new and hugely innovative. As the company notes it, “Reinvents Guitar Miking for Mobile” and does so in a smart, innovative way that musicians are going to love. It is the first acoustic guitar mobile microphone/interface for use with iOS devices, Macs and Androids too! It is nicely-priced and easy to use! As IK Multimedia explains, “Now acoustic players can get stunning, studio-microphone quality sound for recording and live performance from any acoustic guitar anytime and everywhere.” iRig is the best-selling mobile interface of all time. With the iRig Acoustic it is,…
While some people can simply include exercise as part of their healthy lifestyle, most people need more incentive: they need goals, motivation, and a PLAN. Simply tracking isn’t enough, something that Runtastic gets and has implemented in their new Results app. Results delivers focused training plans to help you reach your goals! Online training programs are becoming more and more popular and effective, replacing DVD and old VHS ‘Sweatin’ to the Oldies’ routines by focusing on shorter, more rigorous workouts that deliver visible results more quickly and effectively. It does this by maximizing the effectiveness of your workout time. “Runtastic…