Audio & Visual Gear

News & Features May 21, 2013

Live Score Tennis for iOS Ready for the 2013 French Open

For you tennis aficionados out there, the 2013 French Open is nearly upon us, and if you are gainfully employed (read: busy working away from the TV) you might have some difficulty keeping abreast of the latest match developments while at work. You know the routine: if you are an office type, IT (folks like me) are doing their darned best to keep employees from being distracted by fun and keeping their productive noses to the grindstone. If you are working on the go, it’s a bit of a herculean effort to find a place to sit down and keep…

Reviews May 20, 2013

Kinivo BTX350 Digital Wireless Speaker Review

I’m a big fan of Bluetooth enabled, wireless speakers in this age of cell phones, tablets, and computers. We’re always on the go, always have our mobile phones with us, and therefore, many of us carry our music collections with us as well. Even if you don’t carry your MP3 collection on your cell phone, most of our phones can use Pandora, Spotify, or any number of mobile music apps. The market is ripe for great sounding, decently priced Bluetooth speakers. Unfortunately, the Kinivo BTX350 does not meet that first criterion.

News & Features May 16, 2013

At $1250, These Shure Earphones Sure Better Sound Good!

Shure’s new SE846 Sound Isolating Earphones are a pricey proposition. Shipping in June, they will have a price tag of $1250. That makes them more than a bit pricey. For that price however you get a Quad High-Definition MicroDriver with a three-way system configuration for dedicated low, mid, and high frequency distribution. The SE846 feature a patent-pending design includes a groundbreaking low-pass filter, a true subwoofer that enables deep low-end performance without sacrificing clarity or detail. Sound quality, noise isolation, and a design that includes an optimized nozzle angle that’s designed to rest comfortably in the ear, combine to make the…

Reviews May 11, 2013

Scosche boomBOTTLE Weatherproof Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

“Another Bluetooth speaker?” Elana asked when the package arrived? (Okay she actually didn’t say that but she COULD have said it, considering just how many Bluetooth speakers we have reviewed in recent months.) Yes, the Scosche boomBOTTLE is yet another Bluetooth speaker that has made its way into the marketplace. This one, however, is an award winner, having been recognized at CES 2013 this past January. Why does this Bluetooth speaker stand out? Does it deserve the recognition? Let’s take a look so you can decide for yourself.

Reviews May 10, 2013

Monster Diamond Tears Headphones Bring Bling to Your Ears

BLING! That’s the only way to describe the Monster Diamond Tears Edge Headphones. These fashion headphones stand out thanks to their crystal encrusted ear cups and music control. The sharp edges of the headphones immediately remind you of the facets on diamonds, and the transparent crystalline look of the Clear Diamond review sample we were sent (they also come in black) catches light and makes the appearance even more striking. Clearly targeted to a female audience, the Diamond Tears Edge headphones make as loud a fashion statement as you are going to find. There is no doubt what Monster was…

Reviews May 9, 2013

Harman Kardon NC Noise-Cancelling Headphones Review

When shopping for a pair of headphones, it seems that things keep getting harder and harder. After all, in the battle for your ears there are an ever-growing number of headphones vying for attention. Admittedly we haven’t done much of anything to make the task any easier. After all, in just the past few months we’ve reviewed headphones from Phiaton, Monster, AKG and many more. Worse- or better- yet, pretty much all the headphones we have reviewed recently impressed us enough that we would recommend them to a family member looking for some new cans. Is there room for another pair…

News & Features May 8, 2013

Oregon Scientific Launches ATC Chameleon Dual Lens Action Camera

Remember that awesome review I wrote about the ATC Chameleon dual lens action camera? 🙂 Well, the ATC Chameleon dual lens action camera finally being launched at several major national retailers, including Target, Best Buy, and Costco. Now is your chance to grab this adaptable action camera that can capture two videos at one time. Whether you’re hitting the slopes (like I did), kayaking, mountain biking, or just fooling around with the family in the backyard, the ATC Chameleon is a great way to capture the action in your life. The two wide-angle lenses each capture video in a resolution of 1280…

Reviews May 6, 2013

Underwater Audio: Why is This Shuffle Different from All other Shuffles?

Here is a picture of two iPod shuffles. Yes, they are different colors but have the same shape, design, controls and capacity. If you look, touch or listen to these iPod shuffles, the ONLY difference you might notice is that the buttons on one are a tiny bit stiffer than the other. There’s no other difference. You would, however, only be willing to do this with one of those iPod shuffles… Put the wrong one in this ramekin of water, and you will be left with a tie clip (read: malfunctioning iPod shuffle) rather than an mp3 player. Put the…

Reviews April 29, 2013

PhoneSuit Lightplay Media Projector with Android Review, Part 2

Welcome to the second part of Gear Diary’s review of the PhoneSuit Lightplay Media Projector with Android. Here, we will review the user experience and actual functionality of the PhoneSuit Lightplay. Feel free to head over to Part One of this review, where Dan thoroughly reviewed the Lightplay’s hardware and included accessories. Before we get into the meat of this review, let’s quickly recap some of the highlights that Dan talked about in his hardware review. The PhoneSuit Lightplay is a pico projector, the size of your palm, that has Android built right in. It comes with a gyroscopic remote/keyboard…

Reviews April 29, 2013

HoodiePillow, a SharkTank Product Pitch Product Review

I was watching SharkTank a few months ago when I saw the HoodiePillow pitch. I laughed … out loud. In part because the product sounds so silly, but also because we were pitched this product or something like it quite some time ago, and I thought it was a joke. What’s a HoodiePillow you ask? The Sharks asked the same question, and they were more than amused by the answer. The HoodiePillow is exactly what it sounds like — a hoodie that is also a pillow case. Put the HoodiePillow on your pillow, and you now have a “pillow with…

News & Features April 29, 2013

3 to 5 Hours of Streamed Music from the MiPow Boom mini? Not Even Close!

We brought an exclusive first look at the MiPow Boom mini (read the post), and then we shared the first ever review of the diminutive new speaker coming from MiPow. As you might recall, Judie and I met with MiPow in January when they were showing off their newest offerings at CES 2013. We were impressed by the company and its products and were glad that the company, unknown in the US but widely popular internationally, was finally bringing their products State-side. Here’s our unboxing of the MiPow Boom mini. So here’s the thing, the MiPow Boom mini sounds great,…

Reviews April 28, 2013

iLuv Neon Sound IEP336 Earphones Review

If you’re wondering what spring has to do with headphones, the answer is: nothing, really. However, to test the noise-isolation design of the iLuv IEP336 Earphones, I took them outside and mowed my lawn while listening to Pandora. Let me tell you something, these earphones fit so nicely inside my ear, that it really did remove a lot of the noise from my gas-powered lawn mower and allowed me to enjoy the music I was listening to. The iLuv IEP 336 High-Performance Earphones have a few nice features that set them apart from your everyday, run-of-the-mill earphones. These earphones…

News & Features April 24, 2013

Hublot and Monster Announce Inspiration Hublot, a Luxury Headphones Collaboration

As if the Monster Inspiration headphones I reviewed last fall (and still use regularly) weren’t already something special, the new collaboration between Hublot and Monster promises to blow them out of the water. Hublot, the luxury watchmaker, has teamed with Monster to “combine the very best in high fidelity audio with the finest watchmaking craftsmanship and materials” to create Inspiration Hublot — a luxury noise cancelling headphone that offers an “unprecedented music listening and lifestyle experience.” The new Inspiration Hublot over-ear headphones will have a brushed aluminum finish, a premium rubber headband, a leather headband, and carbon fiber earcups with leather…

News & Features April 23, 2013

Harman Kardon Reveals New AirPlay Networked Receivers

I’m currently evaluating the Harman Kardon NC noise canceling headphones. I am, once again, impressed by the quality, finish and audio of the company’s products. Now Harman Kardon has released two new audio/video received that offer AirPlay and network connectivity. Both the Harman Kardon AVR 2700 and AVR 3700 feature Apple AirPlay and 4K video scaling, as well as a sleek, modern design. In addition, both receivers are powered by the “acclaimed Harman Kardon high-current, ultra-wide bandwidth amplifier design for top sonic performance”. Each receiver is equipped with eight HDMI inputs and have easy-to-use on-screen menus for simple setup and…

Game Diary, Music Diary, Reviews April 19, 2013

Divoom OnBeat X1 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review

To be honest, most of my gaming — whether on PC, Mac, DS, PSP, iOS, or Android — is done with headphones or the device muted. There are a couple of reasons for this: first, to allow for ‘gaming anywhere’; the second is that ever since playing games such as Thief in the late 90s, I have appreciated directional sound and the nuances of quality headphones. But sometimes, when playing a shooter, what I really want is a nice booming rattle – but that won’t happen with an iPad. Now Divoom introduces the OnBeat X1 and promises the ‘ultimate gaming…

News & Features April 18, 2013

White Tuxedo Monster DNA Headphones Review

In the realm of headphones the quip, “It’s better to look good than to feel good” might well be rendered as “It’s better to look good than to sound good.”. In both cases, the statement is obviously nonsense. Just ask anyone with chronic inflammatory arthritis… it doesn’t matter a bit what you look like if you feel awful. Similarly if headphones looks great but don’t sound good, then they really aren’t worth a thing. That was, honestly, my concern when we were asked to review and then give away a pair of the White Tuxedo Monster DNA headphones that…

Reviews April 18, 2013

Turtle Shell Boombox, Is It the Bluetooth Speaker for You?

Bluetooth speakers are pretty much everywhere you look; there’s the granddaddy of them all — the rectangular JawBone JamBox. There’s the strikingly similar rectangular shaped Braven 600 speaker that adds an external battery for charging your devices. If you want the speaker that stands up tall rather than sitting low you might want to check out the SuperTooth Disco 2. If round is more important, then you’ll definitely want to check out the impressive and well-priced JBL Flip. If you want something that’s got more curves than the JamBox and is far tougher, then you’ll definitely want to check out the…

News & Features April 16, 2013

Wind Up Your Car Trip with a Winding Cable Car Charger

A great bane of connected driving can often be pesky power cables snaking across the car’s dashboard console, looking for all the world like albino spaghetti for iPhone users. What to do if the cable in question is too long and bowing out dangerously close to your arm, just itching for a wayward hand or elbow to catch the cable? Just as equally important, when the car trip is over do you loosely wind up the cable, throw it in your glove compartment and hope for the best? Well our ever intrepid friends at USBFever.com have introduced their Car…

Reviews April 12, 2013

MiPow Boom Bluetooth Speaker Review

We posted our review of the MiPow Boom mini the other day. (Read it.) The speaker is tiny but the sound is anything but tinny. I’m impressed by the sound such a small speaker is able to pump out and I still can’t believe that, after using the speaker pretty continually since we got here to Jamaica, I still have not had to charge it. There is no question in my mind that MiPow’s battery rating is more than a bit conservative. The company also sent me the first ever review sample of the MiPow Boom. This speaker, the larger…

News & Features April 12, 2013

The Scosche boomBOTTLE Is a Ruggedized Portable Speaker for Tunes on the Go

We’ve reviewed a host of different Bluetooth speakers but never one quite like this. The Scosche boomBOTTLE is a new mobile speaker that is ideal for streaming music while biking, hiking, camping and more. The boomBOTTLE not only has a unique design, but it has the features to match. A durable non-slip, shock absorbing TPU exterior is strong enough to withstand drops or vibrations caused from rough terrain, which makes it perfect for biking. An IP4X rated weatherproof construction means you can use the boomBOTTLE even when it is wet outside. The boomBOTTLE even features sealed dustproof speaker grills. The…

Reviews April 10, 2013

MiPow Boom mini Bluetooth Speaker Review

I will admit to having gone into my review of the MiPow Boom and MiPow Boom mini Bluetooth speakers positively inclined toward both products. After all, when Judie and I met with Brian Holmes, vice president and general manager of MiPow, back at CES in January we were immediately impressed by the attention to quality and detail the company put into their mobile accessories. During our meeting we got to check out their range of external batteries and liked what we saw. We learned about their Bluetooth headsets and were anxious to try them out. And, at the end of CES, we…

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