Misc Gear

Musicalight LED Sleeve for Learning Chords and Songs on the Guitar

In a strikingly odd development, we had news of TWO Kickstarter campaigns centered around parsing guitar tablature and delivering it via light-up fretboard overlay to aid with learning music. I wrote about Tabber earlier, now we have the Musicalight LED Sleeve! This is the problem they hope to solve: Let’s face it: learning to play any instrument is difficult. Most of us have probably started and quit learning an instrument at some point in our lives. With guitar in particular, it can be frustrating learning chords and finger positioning. We learned to play the guitar by staring at tabs, placing…


Native Union’s Curve Twin Handset Perfect for Multi-Device Professionals

We’ve previously reviewed a number of products from Native Union, and we have been impressed by the design and utility of them. That’s why Judie and I made sure to set aside time to visit the Native Union booth at CES. We are glad we did, because a couple of the items that were in the pipeline for 2012 really impressed us. One of them, the $59.99 Curve Twin, is finally available and for those of us who use multiple mobile devices; it promises to be a great accessory. As the Press Release notes, Universally appealing to anyone who uses…


Fitbit Adds an Android App

I picked up a Fitbit while at CES, and it has been my constant step-tracking companion ever since. Well, I take it back … after I washed and dried the original Fitbit that I was given at a press show (which effectively killed it), I went a few days without one until the replacement I purchased could arrive, but I digress. Fitbit is a great motivator, because it shows you in no uncertain terms whether you have been moving enough to meet your daily goals, and whether you have done it with enough intensity to make a real difference. The Fitbit device will show you…


AMG Viella 12 Redefines the Classic Turntable

Do you still have a vinyl collection that you just can’t part with? If so, then you’ll be glad that you held on to it, as AMG may have just released the ultimate turntable, the AMG Viella 12 “V12”. Werner Roeschlau, designer and driving force behind AMG, works with his son and other master machinists at their bespoke multi-story Bavarian factory located north of Munich. All machining is done in house, combining the latest Computer Aided Design and CNC machines with “classic analog” tools including custom lathes and drill presses. Their factory has been manufacturing key, precision parts for some…


The Wilson Electronics AG Pro 75 Was Worth the Upgrade

It’s no secret that if you live or work in an area that isn’t in the middle of a strong cellular coverage zone, your mobile phone signal is going to suffer. That’s one of the things I knew I would have to deal with when I moved to the ranch, but I wasn’t about to let it be the deciding factor.



The 4moms Origami Stroller Makes All Others Look Lame

If you were a new parent even just five years ago, you’ll have noticed that the gadgets and gear aimed at this market have gotten significantly better and much more savvy to a new parent’s needs. Whether you’re using FaceTime on your iPad to communicate with your kids when at work or teaching them to read using an interactive eBook, parent’s today are enjoying gear that was only imagined when I was raising my daughter back in the early 90s. Back then, I thought having a state of the art baby monitor meant being able to clip a walkie-talkie to my pocket,…


The CalypsoPad Cradles Your iPhone in Buttery Leather

If you hate putting your iPad in a case, but seeing it lay on a table completely naked (and vulnerable!) while charging makes you feel skeevy, then have I got a solution for you! Say hello to the gorgeous new CalypsoPad, a handmade iPhone desk accessory. Made of the finest premium Italian leather, the CalypsoPad manages to combine form and function; I like that there is a molded area to hold the iPhone, and the magnetic latch on the cable means it will be simple to remove the phone with cable when needed. Available in “Owami Peak” (beige) and “Karoo Slopes” (black with…


Outta This World: GM/NASA Develop Robotic Glove

Five years ago, researchers and scientists from General Motors and NASA began collaborating on a project called Robonaut 2 (R2 for short) that led to launching the first human-like robot into space in 2011 that is now a permanent resident in the International Space Station. Now the two are jointly developing a robotic glove inspired by the unprecedented level of hand dexterity on R2 and they call it the Human Grasp Assist, a.k.a. K-glove, a.k.a. Robo-Glove. The first prototype of the glove was completed in March, 2011 with a second-gen model arriving just three months after that. The current Robo-Glove…


Running, Technology, and What Really Matters

(Me, 2 years ago) I fully intended this to be a post about over-reliance on technology. You see, in one week I am running my fourth half-marathon, and I really, really, really want to set a new personal record (PR). I have trained hard, and obsessed over every run, and my biggest dilemma is whether to use my Garmin Forerunner during the race, or whether it will psych me out too much to have all that data strapped to my wrist. For those who don’t live and breathe running, a Garmin Forerunner is a wristwatch with GPS that tracks your…


Tom Bihn Updates Their Ristretto Bag

I love when a company has a really good product but looks for ways to make it even better, and that’s exactly what Tom Bihn did with their Ristretto bag. We’ve reviewed the bag in a number of different sizes. You can read our review of the Ristretto, the Ristretto for iPad, and the review of the Ristretto for MacBook Air. The new Ristretto has a number of key improvements. We have a review sample on the way, but I wanted to run down the key changes in advance of that.


Eton Axis Self-Powered Radio Review

This past year Sarah and I have been very lucky. While our town did flood, it only necessitated the power being out for around 15 hours. Many of my coworkers and friends north of us had it much worse, with power outages lasting anywhere from 24 hours to 5 days! Unfortunately, the modern world isn’t really conducive to going off-grid. Cell phones need juice, you need access to the news, a clock to see what time it is, and of course, an alarm clock if you plan on heading to work! That’s where having a radio like the Eton Axis…


The Future of Touch Interfaces?

Image courtesy of Multi-touch Research Because of my work, I have to toggle back and forth between a Windows laptop and a MacBook Pro during the day.  I am not going to add to the Apple/PC wars, nor to the Windows/Mac OS X discussion; instead what I’ve noticed most, every day, day after day, is the huge productivity difference I get out of . . . the Apple Magic Mouse


Create.Work.Inspire., a Creative Destination Brought to You by Dell and Intel

Dan and I are at Dell and Intel’s third “Create.Work.Inspire” event! This time the XPS 13 Ultrabook™ is a key player in the creation of a music video!  Find more info here. If you’re in the NYC area, come by and see Dan and me as we live blog and watch the event unfold. UPDATED February, 26, 2012: A Conversation with Mindy Seegal Abovitz, creator and editor of Tom Tom Magazine. UPDATED with Behind the Scenes at the Creation of the Suzan’s Ha Ha Ha Video Using the Dell XPS 13 CHECK OUT THE END OF THE POST.


The Phosphor World Time Sport Watch Review

We’ve reviewed a number of E Ink watches from phosphor. There have also been several blinged out Phosphor Appear watches that Judie has reviewed and, more recently, the Phosphor Appear Rose Gold Crystal Watch with Clear Nylon Bracelet. I had a chance to review the Phosphor E Ink Digital Hour Clock Watch with Black Leather Band which, while far less shiny than the ones Judie reviewed, was a bit on the formal side. But what if you want the cool E Ink technology in a watch that is less formal than the one I reviewed and far more understated than the…


Snowtrax 2 Slip-on Cleats Gave Me Plenty of Traction on Dicey, Icy Day

Admittedly, this winter for Ohio has been a bust where snow is concerned. However, living where I do winter inhabitants are occasionally bedeviled by ice storms or significant ice accumulation. Late January for me was one such episode where we received between 0.25″ to 0.5″ of ice accumulation and a dusting of freezing sleet. Walking in such weather on untreated or partially treated surfaces can be very tricky. Fortunately for me as a Christmas gift I received two pairs of Snowtrax 2 slip-on cleats that made all the difference on that treacherous day.


Synthetik Park’s Wall Aquarium Is Eye-Level Gorgeous

Watch how my thought process goes … 1. We have a Beta fish named Brad; he lives in a goldfish bowl that sits on our credenza, and every chance she gets, our cat Avah likes to drink water from his bowl. She’s not trying to eat Brad, or at least we haven’t seen her try, but she seems to love his fish flavored water. This bothers me, because she has been known to lap his water down to less than half a bowl when we have been away. 2. In order to really see Brad I have to bend down,…


The Startech USB 3.0/eSATA Quad Bay Docking Station Review

  Image courtesy of StarTech Those of us in the IT business know that you simply can’t have enough tools to get the job done. Anything to make life easier, and give you more time to for other things is usually worth it’s weight in gold. StarTech makes some of the coolest and hard to find computing equipment on the market. Almost everything I have used from them works exactly as they said it would and stands up to the harshness of the IT worker lifestyle. Today we are taking a look at one of my favorite products from StarTech,…


Just Chill Out with Bottle on Ice Wine Cooler

Contrary to popular belief, you’re not supposed to drink red wine at room temperature or white wine straight out of the refrigerator. Most whites taste best after being allowed to warm up about twenty minutes after being removed from the fridge, and your better Chardonnays and White Burgundies really shine at cellar temperature, which is about 55°. Red wines generally drink best at close to 65°, which unless you live in my grandparents’ old house, probably is a bit colder than room temperature. So the easy rule of thumb is to take white wine out of the refrigerator twenty minutes…


A Quick Look at the Bones Link II iPhone Adapter

Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference. That’s the case with the Bones Link II. Let me back up a bit. The other day I ordered a 16GB RAM upgrade from Crucial for my new iMac. At under $100 it was a great deal. When I went to check out I was offered the opportunity to buy the Bones Link II iPod/iPhone adapter at half price since I had purchased RAM. Normally it is $11.99 so at half that I figured why not and ordered one. The adapter  is described this way … Here’s a great way to…


Yes, I Can Hear You Now; Thanks to Vonage Mobile

This is a sponsored post, all opinions written here  are mine. Make Calls, Save Money Have you tried Vonage’s new mobile app? It lets you make free calls to other people using the Vonage app. It lets you save 70% over the major mobile carriers and 30% over Skype’s rates. It works over WiFi, 3G and 4G wireless data networks worldwide, with WiFi being the most economical method of all. And it is simple. The interface is familiar, you can add calling credit right on the device itself themselves in increments of $4.99 and $9.99 and the call quality is…