Smartphones & Gear





Ultimate Ears Rolls Out the UE ROLL 2

“Designed to take your music wherever, whenever, UE ROLL 2 is the perfect musical companion for your next adventure.” That’s how Ultimate Ears describes the new UE Roll 2 Bluetooth Speaker. I describe it as a worthy update to one of my favorite portable Bluetooth speakers. It offers all-around improvements AND is under $100! The UE Roll is a magnificent little speaker. (Read my review about it here!) It’s small, unassuming size belies the loud, impressive sound it puts out. It’s sandwich roll shape shuns the boxy or cylindrical shape of most Bluetooth speakers. And it’s free, downloadable companion app lets…


WWDC Outlines the Four Pillars of Apple’s Product Strategy

Apple held their Worldwide Developer Conference today. The public portion of the event was the keynote which clocked in at almost 2 hours and featured a top-down review of the highlights expect in what Apple identified as their four foundational  platforms – watchOS, tvOS, OS X (later rebranded as macOS) and iOS.



Focal Sphear In-Ear Headphones Deliver Exceptional Sound and Comfort

French audio manufacturer, Focal, has hit another home run with their Sphear high-resolution in-ear headphones. These audiophile-quality headphones are noise isolating, provide excellent sound quality, and come with all of the accouterments you’d expect from a high-end set of headphones. Equipped with an in-line remote control button and separate in-line microphone, these versatile headphones can be yours for around $149.



Mophie Introduces Juice Pack Wireless for iPhone 6 and 6s

Today Mophie has introduced a wireless Juice Pack for iPhone 6/6s , iPhone 6 Plus, and 6s Plus. Starting at $99 and $129, the cases — which include the charging base — allow iPhone users to wirelessly charge their devices without removing them from the case.



Kogan Agora 6 Review: Fast, Cheap and Good

In the film and television industry, we have an expression: fast, cheap, and good; pick any two. It no longer costs a fortune to get a smartphone with good performance, a decent screen, and 4G connectivity. But for under AU$200 unlocked, how good can it be? Kogan has sent across their latest own-brand smartphone to find out.


Is My DSLR an Obsolete Dinosaur or an Irreplaceable Friend?

With the increased quality of your phone’s camera, is there less of a need for DSLRs and other common cameras? The camera on the iPhone 6S is a whopping 12 megapixels and 4K video, however, the sensor is not first rate. The new Nikon D500 is around $2000 and has the same 4K video, and it is just 20.9 megapixels (megapixels identify the size of the image; for more information, click here), and it has a great sensor (23.5 mm x 15.7 mm).


Libratone ZIPP, Is It Worth the Extra $50 Over the ZIPP MINI?

We recently took a look at the new Libratone ZIPP MINI. I was impressed with the design, the features and, especially, the sound. The ZIPP MINI is, as the name suggests, the smaller version of the Libratone ZIPP. That begs the question, what do you get for the extra $50 you’ll pay for the regular ZIPP?





#ad Diamond Tears On-Ear Headphones (Rose Gold) via Apollo Box

This is a sponsored post; all opinions are mine. I have reviewed the Monster Diamond Tears on-ear headphones previously, but this time, I am reviewing them through the online store called Apollo Box. Although these fashion headphones aren’t my style, but they are comfortable, sound great, and they make a statement.


Libratone ZIPP MINI Is a Great-Sounding Reboot of One of My Favorite Speakers

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…



iClever Product Roundup: Great Accessories at Fair Prices

iClever is a purveyor of smart USB chargers, Bluetooth accessories, and more which can be purchased on their Amazon shop. They have a large line of AC adapters for mobile device charging, USB adapters for use in cars, as well as Bluetooth speakers and headphones. Read on to hear about my experience with iClever’s BoostCube series and magnetic Bluetooth headphones.