Charging devices is one of the unpleasant and time-consuming tasks that we gadget addicts must endure, thanks to the primitive state of electrochemical energy storage. While ultracapacitors have not yet set us free from the torturous charging wait time, there are products that purport to make that wait time shorter. Bench Soft sent us this …
Bench Soft 2X USB Charging Cable for Android review Read More
I loved watching that footage of the giant meteor that broke up over Chelyabinsk, Russia. It was caught by dozens of people, from every conceivable angle. Were they waiting for it to show up? Heck, no, no one knew it was on its way. The Russians are big fans of car dash cams to protect …
When the Camera Connection Kit first came out for the iPad, it immediately was exploited by musicians worldwide to use the iPad as a MIDI-connected device. The iPad suddenly became a must-have device for making music. Apps that mimicked classic synths like the Korg Electribe and MS-20 came out as well as production studio apps …
Smartwatches have been a dream of technophiles since the Dick Tracy days. While they have not yet reached the dream of the standalone phone, what they can do while partnered with a smartphone far outstrips anything Tracy’s wrist gear aspired to. Hot on the heels of Samsung’s Tizen-powered Gear 2 watch, the Gear Live watch …
Technology has come a long way in the last two decades but, sadly, battery technology has barely kept pace. We use the same electrochemical principles that Allesandro Volta used when he invented the voltaic pile in the 1800’s. We have found better materials and have improved on the design to squeeze every available electron from …
RAVPower RP-PB14 Xtreme 23000mAh portable external battery charger review Read More
Canon’s EF 16-35 f/2.8 L II is a very popular lens, particularly for landscape and architectural photography. It has remained out of the reach of many enthusiast photographers due to its very high price ($1700, but at the time of this writing there is a $200 mail-in rebate). The lens is also not image stabilized, …
Canon EF 16-35 f/4 L IS: a cheaper and stable alternative Read More
I love photography. There is seldom a moment when I am not at work and there isn’t a camera in my hand. Like all photographers, I go through camera bags like crazy. What works for one application somehow doesn’t seem to work for another. I have used such camera bags as the Billingham Hadley Pro …
I like pens. Beats the heck out of carving pictograms into rock. You know, take a harder rock and scrape it against the softer rock. The process is tedious but the results do last a long time. Pens make it a lot easier and, as everyone knows, they are mightier than swords. If only Ned …
I am a mild-mannered chemistry teacher most of the year but for two weeks out of every year I visit the Great Plains in search of the most intense weather Mother Nature can throw at us. I have been bringing a Kestrel 4000 weather meter with me to measure the temperature, dewpoint and wind speed …
There’s a great thing about being a teacher…being entrusted with a large number of keys. Keys to my classrooms, to the different cabinets in the classroom, my desk, my filing cabinets, cabinets in different rooms, the bathroom and the goggle cabinet. I teach chemistry and there are a large number of cabinets I need to …
You’ve just spent a mint on that shiny new iDevice and want to sheath it in something nice, classy, protective and did I mention classy? Here’s an interesting option for you: a thick, understated yet elegant bamboo case! This offering is from Primovisto and, while it ticks the boxes for elegant, chic, solid and classy, …
I hate my hair. Words cannot describe how much I detest my thin, sparse hair. I’ve never been able to grow it to my satisfaction but now it just looks awful. If I grew it long I would look like a crazy radiation victim. So what do I do? I shave my head. This is …
Drive your way to a smoother head: the HeadBlade ATX Read More
The Lensbaby Composer Pro is an intriguing solution to selecting the perfect focus spot in your composition. Available in mounts for several ILC and dSLR cameras, it is a fully manual lens with a manual aperture control and swivel lens. The aperture settings will determine the width of the in-focus area and the swivel lens …
Tilt-shift focus on the cheap: The Lensbaby Composer Pro Read More
I have an older DVD player/receiver/amplifier that I used to play CDs on. I got tired of swapping CDs in and out a long time ago and my CDs have gone dusty on the shelf. Then I got an opportunity to review the Amped Wireless Long Range Bluetooth Speaker Adapter and music once again pours …
Amped Wireless LongRange Bluetooth Speaker Adapter review Read More
I never get tired of tiny Windows machines. I’ve owned everything from the OQO to the Fujitsu UH100 to the Viliv N5 to the Dell Venue Pro 8. Now ASUS has tossed its large hat into the 8″ Windows tablet right with its new offering, the Vivo Tab Note 8. Available in 32 and 64 …