Smartphones & Gear

Harman Kardon Onyx Studio – Power, Quality, & Good Looks

We recently took a first look at the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio Wireless Bluetooth speaker system with rechargeable battery. The power, the audio quality, and its sharp looks immediately impressed me. I’ve been using the speaker almost full-time at home since receiving it, and I wanted to do a more complete review. Short version: I love it!


Noreve Debuts New Leather Cases for the HTC One M8

I have been gushing about the quality look and feel of my new HTC One M8 for the last several days. It feels exactly like you’d expect a flagship phone to feel, with solid construction and beautiful cool metal exterior. A phone this nice needs quality protection, and our friends at Noreve have gorgeous leather offerings for the new One.


The Bluelounge Kii Unlocks the Key to My Gear

Last week my keyring got a new addition — the Bluelounge Kii Micro-USB. The Kii is a small sync/charge adapter looks like a simple key but opens to reveal a short but very practical USB-to-MicroUSB cable. At $24.95 (the Lightning Connector version is even more) it is a pricey accessory, but the convenience can’t be beat.


Samsung Galaxy Note 3 First Impressions by a Linux Geek

Michael reviewed the Verizon edition of the Galaxy Note 3, and he liked it.  I bought one over the weekend instead of the HTC One (M8) that Carly bought, because of reviews like Michael’s and my experiences with using the Galaxy Note 2 for a month.  I feel that this STILL is one of the best phones on Verizon.


First Impressions of the HTC One M8

Over the weekend I marched into my local Verizon store and snapped up the new HTC One M8. It’s been a few years since I used Android, but the look and feel of the One were calling my name. We’ll have a full review soon, but since this phone is so new, I wanted to share a few first impressions!


SNAP! Offers Universal Mounting of Your Mobile Devices

If you are one of those people who simply must see and have your phone with you at all times — you know who you are — then SNAP! may be the perfect mounting system for you. A universal female part clips into a universal male part, so the system will work with just about every mobile device!


What’s Your Daily Driver Smartphone (and Why)?

When we talk about a daily driver device, we’re referring to a smartphone that’s with us no matter where we go — our primary way of communicating with the world, our most favored device which, for now, just might come as close to the perfect device as possible.


TAG Heuer MERIDIIST INFINITE Uses Wysips Crystal Technology for Charging

The TAG Heuer MERIDIIST INFINITE phone being shown at Baselworld 2014 may be just another overpriced luxury phone of questionable smartness, but it has one trick up its sleeve that makes it pretty freaking cool — photovoltaic charging. In other words, due to Wysips Crystal Technology, the battery charges when the phone is exposed to light — sunlight or artificial(!!!).


HTC One (M8) Unveiled – Available Now

HTC today unveiled the HTC One (M8) – an upgrade ( 5.0 inch screen vs prior 4.7 inch screen) front facing 5 mp camera –  to their premium line of Android smartphones. Touting the continued use of metal housing and breakthrough antenna technology HTC introduces a phone with 90% metal (up from 70% in the prior version).  


Have You Had Error Code 80c805e2 Email Sync Issues on Windows Phone?

If the error code 80C805E2 means nothing to you, you probably don’t use a Windows Phone. I’ve seen it crop up twice, with two different email addresses, and the fixes have been different for both. For my GMail, I had to delete and re-add the whole account; for Outlook, I had to wait for a text message backup to complete.



iBatzz Battstation Optimus 20400 Extended Battery: Enough Power to Share

It’s become a running joke that I always have to one-up my friend Helena when comparing our extended batteries at tech events. While I am certainly not consciously competing over which of us can carry the biggest battery, there is truth to the fact that I prefer larger extended batteries; the new iBatzz Battstation Optimus 20400 certainly fits this bill.




Karma Makes WiFi Sharing Simple

Our readers understand the importance of connectivity, because having access to the Internet has become a huge part of our lives; that’s why we pay a fortune for mobile data plans, and then we pay even more to connect additional devices. Karma Wi-Fi takes a different approach that is less expensive and surprisingly social.



Color Cables Glow, End Fight Over Whose Cable Is Whose

Color Cables is an Indiegogo campaign running through midnight April 6, 2014. Their goal is to raise $20,000 with which they hope to offer cables for charging and synchronizing your MicroUSB and iOS (30 pin and lightning) devices. But these are no ordinary cables; according to the company each cable glows, is colored, and won’t tangle.



Proporta Announces Accessories for the New Samsung Galaxy S5

With a new smartphone announcement comes the inevitable stream of new smartphone accessories.  Such is the case with the new Samsung Galaxy S5 introduction at Mobile World Conference.  Proporta, a British accessory purveyor has announced a new line of Galaxy S5 accessories, featuring collaborations with Quiksilver and Barbour.  Check out Proporta’s full line of Galaxy S5 accessories at their website.


X-Doria Announces Case Lineup For Samsung Galaxy S5

There is a large number of people excited about the Samsung Galaxy S5 recently announced at Mobile World Congress. With a new phone comes new cases and accessories. X-Doria has announced three cases and a screen protector. The products will be available from X-Doria’s Amazon Marketplace and for pre-order from the X-Doria website. Prices range from $24.99 to $29.99. 


iLuv Debuts Samsung Galaxy S5 Cases

Samsung announced the Galaxy S5 this week at Mobile World Congress, so naturally it is time to start seeing some accessories for the new phone. iLuv has introduced a line of cases that promise to be stylish, protective and functional. There are also three screen film options ranging from $9.99 to $19.99. The cases retail from $19.99 to $69.99. Preorder at the iLuve website.