Misc Gear


Escort SmartCord Live! Brings Smarts to My Passport Max

Escort’s Passport Max is the best radar detector I have ever used. It looks great, sounds good, and works extremely well — signaling only if there’s a real issue. (Read my review, and keep an eye out for Judie’s “second look” post!) I was, however, missing the active real-time connection with traffic information. The Escort SmartCord Live! fixes that.


Win This 2014 #NAIAS Corvette Press Kit!

If you love the Chevy Corvette, then we’ve got an amazing giveaway just for you. While attending NAIAS 2014, we received this Corvette Press Kit. It includes a USB Drive full of info, three cool pins, and a special collector’s box. We even got a model of the car in hot red. Here’s how you can win it!




The Optrix Bar Fly Keeps Your iPhone Mobile

Remember when we used to call them “mobile phones?” Now, they’re only as mobile as you are. So if you’re an avid cyclist or just a commuter, unless you have a good sturdy and convenient mount, your phone probably stays in your pocket or bag.The Bar Fly from Optrix looks to change that.


TYLT VU Wireless Charging Pad – a Stylish and Modern Charger

One of the things I love about the new Nokia Windows Phones is that they can utilize inductive charging. Being able to lay my phone on a Qi enabled charging pad throughout the day without plugging in any cables is too convenient; having a charging pad that looks as stylish as the $69.99 TYLT VU is pretty cool, too.


IK Multimedia iRig Keys Pro Review

Just over a year ago I reviewed iRig Keys, the 37-note multi-platform mini-key controller. It remains in constant use by either myself or my son! Now IK Multimedia is has released iRig Keys Pro, featuring 37 full-size velocity sensitive keys, Lightning, 30-pin and USB cables, for universal compatibility with all models of iPhone, iPad, and Mac/PC.


Leef PRO Ultra High Speed Memory Card – Not Exactly

One of the gifts I received from my husband Kev for Christmas was a Canon G16; he included a 32GB SanDisk Extreme SD Card and a spare battery — totally sweet, right? Around the same time, a 64GB Leef PRO SD Card showed up for review; comparisons were begging to be made, and I couldn’t help but make them …


Reinvented GBag Golf Bag Uses New Technology – Will Change How You Golf!

The golf bag is a standard part of any golfer’s arsenal, but while there are loads of models they all serve the same basic purposes the same basic way. Now Gbag has launched on IndieGoGo and looks to change the way we think of the golf bag for good, using magnets and ultralight materials and a modular design! The golf bag is a standard part of any golfer’s arsenal, but while there are loads of models they all serve the same basic purposes the same basic way. Now Gbag has launched on IndieGoGo and looks to change the way we…



Parrot Introduces the Parrot Jumping Sumo – An Insectoid Jumping Robot

Sumo wrestlers aren’t known for their nimbleness, but you might rethink that when you take a look at Parrot’s new Jumping Sumo spy gadget/robot/toy.  The Parrot Jumping Sumo is a WiFi enabled robot with a built-in camera, gyroscope, and accelerometer, which make it easy to pilot from your smartphone or tablet.  Learn more about Parrot’s Jumping Sumo at Parrot’s website.


Hate Doing Windows? WINBOT Is the Bot for You.

When Elana and I moved into our current home, we increased the number of windows more than ten-fold. Yes, our house is more windows and sliding doors than it is wall. We love it, but boy does that glass get dirty. That’s where the WINBOT I saw today on the floor at CES 2014 could come in quite handy.


3D-Printed Instruments Hit Some Sharp Notes

When our buddy Paul Strauss, aka TheAwesomer, told me he just heard a band playing instruments that were all created on 3D-Printers while walking the floor at CES 2014 I was a skeptic. Instruments that were printed? I thought he was pulling my leg. Then I heard them and (cue up the Monkeys…), I’m a Believer.


Spree ‘Revolutionary’ Fitness Monitor Launched At CES 2014!

Everyone is speculating that the ‘hot new thing’ at CES this year will be ‘wearable technology’. Wearables include the Pebble watch, Google Glass, Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, Magellan Echo, and fitness monitors such as Fitbit Force, etc. New to the category is Spree ‘Revolutionary’ Fitness Monitor from Hothead Technologies, bringing heart rate and temperature to help you better understand your health!


Withings Aura Active Smart Sleep System Unveiled at CES 2014

Withings Aura Active Smart Sleep System combines an under-mattress sleep sensor and a unique bedside device in order to take into account your entire sleeping environment so that it can improve your overall sleeping experience.  The color changing bedside device uses light and sound programs to “positively impact your sleeping conditions.” The sleep system sends all the data it collects to a free mobile phone app so that you can visualize your sleep and learn what wakes you up or helps you sleep.  With the app, you can adjust your wake pattern as well.  The bedside device emits different colors…



Seagate and LaCie Announce New Products at CES2014

  We started CES 2014 by meeting with Seagate and LaCie and looking at some of their new and upcoming products. Among them are a new wireless drive, a 4TB portable drive (a first), and a gorgeous silver hard drive that looks more like a work of art than a drive. Here are a few pictures of the products.


Umoro One Simplifies Supplement Mixing and Carrying

Do you regularly mix health or fitness supplements that you drink throughout the day? Tons of people do, including my mother. Umoro has created one of the best solutions I’ve yet seen for carrying and mixing those supplements; they call it the Umoro One. $28.99 gets you an innovative shaker bottle in either black or white. The Umoro One is BPA free, clump-proof, shatter-proof, odor-free, and spill-proof. It holds 20 ounces of fluid, and the supplement compartment holds up to 100cc or 50ml. The Umoro one is dishwasher safe (top rack is recommended for the agitator and the lid), and it…