iClever Bluetooth Earbuds — A Safety Solution for the Active Geek
Outdoor solo recreation can be unsafe when wearing headphones. These Bluetooth headphones address 4 safety concerns for the active geek.
Continue ReadingOutdoor solo recreation can be unsafe when wearing headphones. These Bluetooth headphones address 4 safety concerns for the active geek.
Continue ReadingPlugged’s object was to create a new headphone offering with style, quality, and performance but at a price that most people can afford. Did they succeed?
Continue ReadingI have renamed by 640GB iPod “The Titanic.”
Continue ReadingLike many of you, I work at a desk eight hours a day. This means that I have to keep a keen eye on my activity level for the good of my overall health and wellbeing. I try to walk to meetings whenever it’s feasible and take the stairs instead of the elevator, but my real exercise takes place outside of business hours – and nothing motivates me to move more than enjoying a little music.
Continue ReadingProtecting your investment in an iOS device is always a balance between putting your iPad, iPhone or iPod into something that will keep it from coming to physical harm versus usability and aesthetics.
Continue ReadingI’m not big on the whole selfie thing, but there are many occasions when I like to get into the picture for group shots with my family and friends. If we planned things ahead, a proper camera on a tripod with a timer is the usual method for capturing the moments. Spontaneous shots are more likely to be on one of our iPhones. There are self-timer apps available for these siutations, but I think HISY has come up with a much more useful solution: the HISY Bluetooth Camera Remote for iPhone.
Continue ReadingDid your kids score a new iOS device for Christmas, or maybe you treated yourself to a new iPod, iPad or iPhone over the holidays? I’m pretty psyched myself after receiving an iPad Mini with Retina display to replace my much-loved (but showing its age) original iPad. Loading an iPad up with games is a heck of a lot cheaper than investing in the cartridges needed to fill up a 3DS library, but the holiday season is the best time to stock up on iOS games. Many developers have some of their top titles on sale for up to 90% off. No line-ups, no parking hassles and you don’t even have to change out of your PJs — just log on to iTunes. For even bigger savings, check for stores that have iTunes cards on sale.
Continue ReadingWhat kid doesn’t like an R/C toy? Who wouldn’t want a programmable robot, one that learns to react to your face, recognizes colors and has its own highly animated facial expressions? What about your own mobile remote presence, complete with motion control and two-way audio and video feeds? Using your iPhone or iPod Touch as its brains, the Romo app-controlled robotic pet for iOS devices manages to pull off all these capabilities. It does so in a way that’s both entertaining and educational for kids and the icing on the cake is there are no additional batteries required (anyone who’s had to load up an R/C car then its controller knows what I’m talking about) — the Romo base recharges via USB while your iOS device recharges using your normal method.
Continue ReadingI’m a bit of a gadget geek. Between my own electronics collections and writing product reviews for outlets like GeekDad, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to play with gear. With Father’s Day fast approaching, I though I’d revisit one of my favorite portable music devices — one that’s inexpensive to boot — the Ryobi TEK4 AllPlay music player. Basically, this is a ruggedized, ultra long battery life MP3 player built around a rechargeable power tool battery. There’s nothing elegant about it and it does nothing but play music, but it will do that virtually forever. I’ve had one since a 2010 review, and it continues to amaze me with its performance. Amazon’s currently got it on sale for $25 — if you’re looking for a Father’s Day gift, it’s pretty hard to beat that price.
Continue ReadingTired of smudging and prints all over the shiny glass of your tablet’s display? Looking for something a little more realistic than your finger for writing, drawing or painting? Here are two good stylus choices for your iPad or other …
Continue ReadingIon’s iPics 2 Go gives iPhone users the ability to take their cherished photo memories from paper to digital. With the help of a free app and a little black box, you can transfer your hard copy memories into digital treasures.
Continue ReadingThe Braven 625s Bluetooth 3.0 speaker is an impressive addition to any household both because of the ease of setting it up and the clarity of the sound coming from it.
Continue ReadingLast week, iHome released the newest addition to its line of Apple products: the iHome iP76 color changing speaker tower. The system comes complete with Bluetooth capability, remote, and a wide range of color changing choices to play with. I was given the opportunity to receive a review sample, the day before they were released into stores.
Continue ReadingWe are finally at the end of our summertime experiment of my kids not doing any electronics. It started out as an attempt to get my kids to engage with their surroundings more, playing outside, with each other, and with …
Continue ReadingThese days, most of us have several electronic devices that have specialized charging cables. Keeping track of them, and remembering to bring them when we travel, can sometimes be a challenge. One solution to this problem is to use a specialized charger that can charge multiple devices at once.
Continue ReadingThe iCade mobile is the newest addition to the iCade line. Designed for iPhone / iPod touch devices, this little guy is a nice addition to my pile of iDevice accessories.
Continue ReadingI share some of the concerns Jenny has about her kids and the easy/constant access to electronics, although I tend to take a somewhat less black and white stance. My house is pretty wired (or unwired these days, although not …
Continue ReadingIt’s a problem when you have one device running low on batteries, but it’s even more difficult when you have two or three all in need of a little juice. I’ve run into this on road trips with my family. We’ve each got a gadget but the car only has two outlets so that means a spiderweb of wires and splitters. It also means we’re all searching for outlets at hotel stops and then trying not to leave anything behind the next day. The myCharge Portable Power Bank 6000 is an easy solution to this problem.
Continue ReadingI’m lucky to have a husband who is a kid at heart because it makes shopping for him easy and fun. Most of the time, I can get his presents at my local toy store or comic book shop. It was this unique trait that inspired me to put together the ultimate Father’s Day gift guide for the kid at heart. So, without further adieu, I give you the gift guide for the dad who prefers transformers over ties and Legos over soap on a rope.
Continue ReadingJason Hillbourne, the guy who introduced us to Bunkbots, has thought up a cool new idea. He’s looking to the Kickstarter community to fund the initial manufacturing costs. Entry level on the funding is only $18 and that gets you …
Continue ReadingWay down at the bottom of the rack, not at eye level with all the pretty cases but down where no one was going to notice them, there were a few cases in really large boxes. Every other box was super slim, but this case was in a rugged looking box that was easily twice the thickness of all the others. This turned out to be the Griffin Survivor military-duty case complete with belt clip. This held promise.
Continue ReadingI haven’t yet mastered hooking an iPod up to the AUX input in my car to listen to whatever I like from my music collection. For me, fiddling around on a touch screen tends to be a lot more dangerous …
Continue ReadingMy music lessons at school were a little uninspiring, and at home my Bontempi keyboard failed to inspire me — even with its seven preset voices. I was slightly skeptical when I stumbled across the DJ Rig app for iPhone …
Continue ReadingNeed some game play this Earth Day? Guide Slippery the Harbor Seal as she swims from San Francisco to Alaska eating yummy clams and avoiding dangerous predators like sharks and jelly fish. But don’t worry Slippery can keep her enemies …
Continue ReadingTangled was one of the first Disney movies made after the buyout of Pixar and I think it’s safe to say it was one of the best to come from the house of mouse in a long time, thanks in …
Continue ReadingEarlier this week, Brad Moon wrote an excellent piece justifying iPads for kids, full of reasons why iPads are great for kids. There were lots of good reasons, but what about when there are a bunch of kids and only …
Continue ReadingI’m really enjoying being back at the gym. I’ve written recently about how Fitocracy.com motivated me to get back in shape by giving me goals to shoot for — quests and achievements and experience points to level up. While some …
Continue ReadingWhen you’re laying out hundreds of dollars apiece for iPads, iPhones and other iOS devices, keeping them intact is an investment in itself. All the more so if kids are involved. Cases and skins offer differing degrees of protection — …
Continue ReadingMonopoly. You either play it now and then (usually on a rainy day, at a cottage, or when the power’s gone out), or you hate it. Actually, there are people that love it too — at least they have a …
Continue ReadingAnybody who knows me personally will know that I am an enormous Disney geek. Interestingly, for me it is not so much about the films as it is the theme parks. There are paintings all over our house of the parks, I have a collection of plates and collectables and several boards full of trading […]
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