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.
I’ve recently attended Dell World, the newly private company‘s expo where attendees “gain insights into key industry trends, engage with industry visionaries, exchange ideas and learn how Dell is evolving to deliver the solutions of tomorrow.” Key words used during the conference were “Transform, Connect, Inform, & Protect”; amazingly enough, Dell managed to make the event interesting and fun.
In recent years, I’ve come to appreciate that using a standing desk can give you an entirely different perspective. The Ergotron WorkFit-P Sit-Stand Workstation for Apple lets you work in either a sitting or standing position, switching between them in seconds. Best of all, if you use Apple products it has a look that will fit right in.
The Best Case Scenario iPad 4 case is a nice-looking leather case for your iPad that serves a couple secondary functions past just protecting your iPad and making it look good. The Best Case Scenario iPad case is also perfect for taking photos of business cards, and it comes with a sound enhancement device. It retails for $59.95.
Over the past few years I have worked to eliminate as much of the paper-clutter as possible. The NeatConnect cloud scanner takes “paperless” to an entirely new level by allowing you to scan directly to various cloud services without the need of a computer. It is a case of “the right tool for the right job at the right time”.
A few months ago we reviewed the Jabra 510 UC and the Plantronics Calisto 620 UC speakerphones. Both come from companies with years of mobile audio experience and do a great job of instantly transforming a laptop or smartphone into a conferencing device. Both have an MSRP of $149 and go for less on Amazon. Which is right for you? I am impressed with both of them and can honestly say either is a good choice for someone in the market for such a device. Still, they are two different devices and you need only one. So lets run down…
If you need a small multi-function printer that has a tiny footprint and a budget price, then you will want to check out the Epson XP-410. Good quality prints, WiFi, and printing from iPhones, iPads, and Android devices — thanks to integration with AirPrint and Google Cloud Print — are just the beginning. And it is priced under $100. It may be an increasingly paperless world, but there are still times when you need to print or scan a document. Epson offers a terrific range of multi-function printers at a wide range of prices. My current go-to printer is the…
One of my favorite set of posts on Lifehacker is the “Featured Workspace” posts. Your workspace is important. It’s where things get done. Each and every workspace is different because we are all different. My workspace utilizes a 50 year-old desk and a mix of tech from old to new. Read on for more on how I have set this up. The desk is one I picked up many years ago on Freecycle. Freecycle is a Yahoo group in our area that people list stuff for free. This desk’s previous home was a local church here in the Columbus area,…
Surge protectors are not the most interesting of accessories. At the same time they are an important part of getting your gear up, running and protected. Most of the time power strips with surge protection come in a straight line of outlets, but that is not the case with the Powramid Power Center and USB Charging Station from Accell. It has a most unusual shape, and it is designed for today’s multi-device setups. Let’s take a look. First and foremost, the Powramid Power Center and USB Charging Station has room for six different plugs to connect at the same time….
It has been some time since I felt the need for a task light while working at my desk or at our kitchen island. The reason for that is quite simple, my house was renovated by my father-in-law, and he has a thing about putting tons of lights in any room has designs and rebuilds. Still, there are times when I really could use some easily directed light. That was the reason I took an interest in the Satechi LED Desk Lamp. This didn’t look like any desk light I had ever used, and it is not. No, the Satechi…
The Jabra Motion Bluetooth Headset is the latest and greatest Bluetooth headset from one of the true pioneers in wireless accessories. Using it for this review made me remember my very first Bluetooth headset; it also came from Jabra and, like the Jabra Motion Bluetooth Headset, it also wrapped around my ear with the microphone extending toward my mouth. This first Bluetooth headset required a dongle connected to the phone’s 3.5mm headphone jack. Why? Because my Motorola flip phone didn’t have Bluetooth built into it! Yes, it was the dark ages, and in order to get Bluetooth functionality I had…
External batteries are a necessity when using a smartphone, and it stands to reason that the bigger the battery the more time you can spend away from a plug. When we went to CES 2013 in January, Judie, Carly and I brought multiple external batteries. For the first CES ever, we didn’t run out of fuel or go running for a plug half way through the day. Among my battery “arsenal” were a few of Just Mobile’s Gum series of backup batteries. I loved the look, feel and build of them, but I didn’t love only being able to charge one…
We saw the Targus iNotebook at CES last month. It is an intriguing device, and Targus was kind enough to send an iNotebook for review. Before we get into the review though, let me step back and give a bit of history. As I have previously noted here on the site, my best experience with Windows came in the form of using a Windows Tablet PC. It was a terrific productivity tool that allowed me to use one computer for both typing and capturing hand written notes. I also did some voice recognition on it, but that tended to have…
I find myself doing far less talking on the phone these days. That is part of the reason I’ve pretty much dropped my use of landlines. At home and work I only use my cell phones or, at times, I use Line2 or Skype on my tablet or computer. I honestly cannot remember the last time I picked up my desk phone in the office. People pretty much all know to reach me on my cellphone. Period. And while my iPad serves as a decent speakerphone and my MacBook Pro with retina display has dual array microphones, they aren’t terrific…
While at CES, we spent some time visiting with Targus. Among the new items they were showing off was the $179.99 iNotebook, which “seamlessly transmits your handwritten notes to your iPad using the included sensor and pen.” If it sounds too good to be true, then you might want to check out this quick demo of Judie writing on paper and seeing the text rendered on the iPad in real-time. The iNotebook wirelessly transfers handwritten notes and sketches to an iPad using Bluetooth technology. It requires no special paper and is compatible with standard A5 and 8” x 5” notepads. That…
If you are looking for a serious briefcase that is tough, carries a ton, and has plenty of organizational pockets — but nimbly avoids the pitfall of looking like the stuffy, square briefcase your father carried — then you’ll want to check out the Tom Bihn Zephyr. The Zephyr is built with the quality we have come to know and expect from Tom Bihn. Materials are stellar; the design takes into account the varied ways people use their bags, and the build-quality is second to none. Oh, and as is always the case with Tom Bihn bags, the Zephyr is…
A year and a half ago, I had the opportunity to review an incredibly useful mobile device that quickly and easily doubles your screen real-estate. The FieldMonitorPro is a large screen that, right out of the box, extends your computer to give you additional screen space or allows someone/s to look at your computer screen without having to crowd in next to you. It is terrific for on-the-go demonstrations. While reviewing the device, I was covering an Apple keynote and found my MacBook air to be too small for watching the video, checking feeds, and writing the post. I pulled…
It has been a while since I have written about my Livescribe smartpen, but that doesn’t mean I rely on it any less. In fact, my experience has actually the opposite. My Livescribe smartpen is so much a part of my workflow that I simply take it for granted. If you aren’t familiar with the Livescribe smartpen system, let me offer a simple description. The Livescribe smartpen is a large pen with a traditional ink cartridge in its tip; it that takes writing to an entirely new level, thanks to the inclusion of a small camera sensor that also sits in…
How depressing. For years, women have had to deal with getting paid less than men. And quite often the justification was that women were more likely to leave the workplace to have families and potentially not return – so the training and management grooming money would be wasted, and better spent on a man. And while much of that blatantly sexist thinking has been removed from the workplace, the reality of the pay gap remains. This doesn’t make sense, since more and more women are choosing careers first, delaying building families for years, and entering the workplace just as qualified…
It occurred to me the other day that the last time I used a “standard” phone was… well, actually, I can’t remember. Yes, Elana and I went “all cell” some time back and we haven’t looked back (except when the microcell went down Friday and I couldn’t make calls). Instead of a landline, when I make voice calls these days I use my iPhone or I use my iPad and Line2. We do have an Ooma Telo system here at home but we haven’t felt the need to plug it in. Still, when I was offered the chance to review…
Recently I wrote a lengthy comment/review on the Skooba Weekender bag Dan reviewed last July. During that review, I mentioned that I am a road warrior and generally spend at least one or more nights out of town 40+ weeks of the year. A few weeks ago was one of those rare times where I was working in my NYC office all week. Being in the office allowed me an opportunity to spend some quality time using the Google Nexus tablet I had purchased some time ago. In the past, I’ve made an attempt at using the original Samsung Galaxy Tab,…