Category: Gadgets (Page 15 of 27)

Help Kickstart Outdoor Tech’s Turtle Shell Bluetooth speaker

September 18, 2012 /

If you’re like us, you want to take your music everywhere you go but sometimes, that’s easier said than done. The market is littered with all sorts of Bluetooth speakers these days, but portability, durability and sound quality are all very hit or miss. Of course, headphones are the easiest solution but not always the safest, depending on your activity and surroundings, and besides, how can you share tunes with your friends if you have headphones crammed into your ears? Don’t be selfish.

The all new Turtle Shell boom box looks like an optimal solution, the first Bluetooth-powered speaker to offer a built-in threaded tripod mount that will allow you to mount the speaker to almost anything for instant on-the-go music. You can also use the optional Turtle Claw all-purpose clamp for even more mounting options, or just attach a carabiner to the steel loop under the Turtle Shell. Check out the video above for more ideas. The durable speaker meets IP5X standards, so don’t worry about dust, grime and water, the rechargeable lithium-ion battery offers up to 10 hours of playback, and it even comes with a built-in microphone so you can use it as a speakerphone.

We haven’t had a chance to test out the Turtle Shell yet, but as soon as we have one in hand, we’ll be sure to post our review. In the meantime, you can be one of the first to own a Turtle Shell if you help fund the project by pledging via Kickstarter, and in return, the guys at Outdoor Tech are offering lots of cool gear as a thank you.

Want to read more about the Turtle Shell? Check out this review from CNET following the Turtle Shell’s debut in January at CES.

Gadgets, Humor, Lifestyle, Recreation, Stuff to Buy, Videos

Why Men Love Gadgets Upgrades

September 1, 2012 /

From Wii to intricate television remotes to high-speed laptops, men love gadgets. Perhaps it is the “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality that causes men to stay ahead of their friends in the gadget world. We delve into the reasons why men feel compelled to own top-notch gear.

Stroke Their Egos

Most men need to feel important and having fancy things makes them feel this way. If someone pays a visit, men feel strong and mighty when showing off their latest trendy gadget.

Impress Women

Perhaps it is also part of their ego, but many men believe that women feel enamored by men with interesting gadgets. Men with toys must have money to spend on them. Women love money, hence, women will love men with toys. They also enjoy impressing women with their knowledge of these gadgets. If a woman doesn’t know how to use an extensive remote, men feel accomplished teaching them how to use it. Men feel the need to be the supporter and this is one way they can do that.

Stress Reliever

From exercise to adult libations, men find outlets to relieve stress. Playing with gadgets is just another method of removing stress from their lives. For those who spend all day at the office and have home and family responsibilities, gadgets take them out of their world and move them into one that may not require so much brainwork. They simply can act like children and play. This also gives them an ability to fidget with these gadgets, making them feel as though they are playing as well.

Feel Empowered

Men store endless amounts of information on laptops, cell phones and PDAs. Having these mini-pieces of storage make men feel more secure. They don’t need to keep everything in their head and can store that information for more important things, like sports facts.

Status Symbol

This is the “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality. When men have a new toy, they talk about it and show it off to others. It makes them feel dominant and influential. Men compare their toys with others and feel wistful if someone can one up them with something newer and greater. They despair if someone owns something better and they feel knocked down.

Freedom

Why suffer with a less-than-perfect remote control when you can have a fancy universal one? Why try to store information in your head when you can type it into a business notebook and have it at your fingertips? Gadgets signify freedom by lessening the load.

Men enjoy their gadgets and that’s not likely to change. From their need to play to their desire to impress the ladies, men will continue to use gadgets for generations to come.

Sources:
http://iwarrior.uwaterloo.ca/props/?module=displaystory&story_id=1076&format=html&edition_id=16

Gadgets

HP Previews Three New Touchscreen Laptops

August 30, 2012 /

Hewlett-Packard (HP) previewed a number of exciting new products on the evening of Tuesday, August 27, most of which will be available in December of this year or January of next year. Unfortunately, there is a non-disclosure agreement in place until Thursday, September 20, for many of these products, so tune in on that day to find out more. For now, though, let’s take a look at three impressive new laptops offered by HP.

The HP Spectre TouchSmart Ultrabook is a sleek, stylish, 4.77 pound notebook with a 15.6-inch screen featuring edge-to-edge glass. It is a multitouch touchscreen device that also features a fully functioning keyboard and a full array of ports, including Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, and HDMI. It is also HP’s first notebook to feature Intel Thunderbolt technology, a new technology similar to FireWire, but not based on it. Also used by Apple, Intel Thunderbolt allows for high-speed connectivity and daisy chaining of multiple devices. The slightly smaller HP ENVY TouchSmart Ultrabook 4 features a 14-inch multitouch HD display with a backlit keyboard and a subwoofer featuring Beats Audio. It delivers up to eight hours of battery life and, like the Spectre Ultrabook, is expected to be available in the United States in December, with a starting price of $1,399.

The HP ENVY x2 takes the touchscreen and keyboard synergy of these devices to a whole new level. The ENVY x2 is a tablet and a laptop at the same time, with a detachable 11.6-inch diagonal HD touch display featuring IPS technology. It has a sleek aluminum finish and an innovative hinge system with magnets that smoothly guide the tablet portion into place with the keyboard, which, when opened, wedges up from the table or other surface on which it rests, providing a more convenient angle for typing. The ENVY x2 features Beats Audio, NFC technology and an optional stylus, as well as two different types of cameras for its two different operational modes: an HD webcam on the front and an 8.0 megapixel camera on the back. It is also expected to be available in December.

With these and other devices previewed recently, HP continues to move in the direction of thinner, lighter laptops without sacrificing its many innovative features. Don’t forget to check back with us on September 20 to see what other exciting new products HP has in store.

Gadgets, Gear, News, On Location, Stuff to Buy

Product Review: Slingbox PRO-HD

August 17, 2012 /

I’ve been interested in picking up a Slingbox ever since the streaming device debuted back in 2005, so imagine my disappointment when I finally got my hands on the new Slingbox PRO-HD for review, only to discover that it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Though there are some obvious benefits that come with owning a device that streams video content to your PC, smartphone or tablet anywhere with a halfway decent Internet connection (especially in the we-want-it-now era), the negatives outweigh the positives.

Design

This is one area where Slingbox has continued to evolve and improve over the years. A far cry from the blockier early-gen models, the PRO-HD has a sleeker look that blends in well with most home entertainment and/or office setups. The device is still pretty large compared to how much smaller everything else in the electronics industry is getting nowadays, but the number of A/V options on the back of the unit pretty much dictates its size. If there’s anything to hate about the Slingbox from a design standpoint, it’s that there are far too many cords for a device that you’ll primarily access wirelessly.

Functionality

On paper, the Slingbox PRO-HD sounds every bit as awesome as I’d hoped it would be. Not only does it let you access three different A/V sources (for instance: your cable TV, DVR and DVD player), but you can also tune in to 1080i HD programming when available. Some people have complained that this ties up your devices at home as a result, but the biggest issue is that the image quality is far from perfect. I tried hooking up the box to my Series 2 TiVo, and even while connected to a better than average Internet connection in the same room, the picture looked muted and pixilated. (I’d hate to think how it would look using shared bandwidth from a Wi-Fi hotspot.) Additionally, while the onscreen remote control works as expected, there’s some slight lag to its response, and every time you open or close the widget, there’s a hiccup in the stream.

Mobile Applications

Sling Media hasn’t done itself any favors on the mobile side of things, either. Despite offering users the ability to access their Slingbox on a variety of platforms (including the iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire and Android devices), the company charges $29.99 for the software… for each device. That means that if you want to download the app for your iPad and iPhone, you have to pay an additional $60 on top of the already exorbitant $299.99 price tag for the Slingbox PRO-HD. That’s a pretty hefty charge for a service that should be free, and considering how much the box itself costs, it’s a massive turnoff.

Conclusion

Though consumers who travel a lot for business will be more forgiving of some of the Slingbox’s flaws, it’s hard to believe that there still isn’t a better option in this day and age. Anything that costs as much as the Slingbox PRO-HD shouldn’t be riddled with this much mediocrity, because while the device certainly has the potential to be a game changer in streaming video content, it has quite a bit of work to do before that happens.

Gadgets, Stuff to Buy

Bullz-Eye’s Back to School Gift Guide

August 14, 2012 /

It may sound strange, but while I miss being a student, I don’t miss school.

I try to compensate for this by taking every opportunity presented to me to still learn, but there’s just some things that can’t be recreated outside of the school environment, one of which has to be the first day back to school. I know, I know, it means the end of summer and the beginning of classes again. But what if I could tell you that there were steps you could take to ensure that this is the best school year ever, and the year in which you really stand out and make a name for yourself? Even better, what if I told you that you could accomplish it, without any of that self improvement stuff, or without having to apply earnest effort?

I’m talking about coming back to school with the sweetest swag available. Not just any ordinary swag, though, but swag that will be easy to show off and actually aid you in the school year as well. It’s like having your cake and rubbing it in everyone’s face too.

Here are some gadgets and gear that no student should be without this school year.

Google Nexus 7

One day, perhaps, all schools will be able to provide tablets for their students for the ultimate learning experience (and to help create an awesome sci-fi learning environment). Until that glorious day, though, you’ll just have to supply your own.

While the iPad is still the overall better buy, the Nexus 7 gets the edge for a student. Why? Well, its $199 price tag doesn’t hurt, but it’s the Nexus 7’s smaller size that gives it the advantage for every day, on the go use. Plus, in the smaller tablet market, the Nexus 7 is far and away the best available spec-wise at the moment, as even trendsetter Amazon is having to update their Kindle Fire ahead of schedule in order to keep up.

The Nexus 7 features over 600,000 apps, incredibly long battery life (9 hours HD video, 10 hours web browsing), and all of the e-book, email, video download, and online services you would expect from a tablet. Put it all together, and you have a tablet that succeeds where Amazon failed, and manages to provide a true budget alternative to the iPad. It’s hard to imagine a more useful overall back to school device.

Bose MIE2i Mobile Headset

I know that the over-the-ear, in-ear headphone debate is an eternal one that has yet to claim a true victor. However, for whatever my two cents are truly worth, I personally side with in-ears. What you lose in style and comfort, you gain back tenfold in convenience and portability.

So let’s say you agree with me and have decided to finally invest in a set of in-ear headphones that don’t come with your iPhone or from the back counter of a convenience store. Let’s also say that you’re not into the Beat headphone mini-craze and want a set of true quality buds. If so, then I’d like to be the one millionth person to recommend you go with Bose.

For what Bose headphones lack in flash, they make up for everywhere else that matters. The MIE2i have always been one of their best sets as they feature the usual frighteningly good level of sound quality and noise cancellation you expect from Bose, but also offer unrivaled comfort (you hardly notice them, and they always stay in place) and sustainability in the in-ear field. If you’re looking to make an investment on a set of headphones that will actually last, and allow you to discretely listen to the Black Keys in class, look no further than these beauties.

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Gadgets, Gear, Lifestyle, Stuff to Buy

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