Posts about a variety of topics which are not news and are not reviews.
Last week Jeanne and I vacationed in the Panama City Beach, Florida area on Seagrove Beach, Florida. I highly recommend it as vacation destination because the beach was the nicest one I’d ever visited and the sand felt as fine as flour. As with most trips, I always struggle to decide which tech devices to […]
Julie’s gadget diary – Vacation tech lessons learned and a few travel tips Read More
Today is the day that Google will officially unveil their new Nexus smartphones. I’ve been looking forward to this day for quite awhile because I decided I that this would be the year that I would buy a Nexus phone. I’ve been wanting the stock Android experience and quick OS updates for a long time,
Julie’s gadget diary – Google is making me sad Read More
The Gadgeteer turned 18 years old last month (August, 2015). As the old saying goes, “time flies when you’re having fun” and it is so true. I can’t believe I’ve been writing gadget news and reviews for that long. I thought it might be fun start a new feature where we take a trip down memory
Sony CLIE (PEG-S300) review – 15 years ago today on The Gadgeteer Read More
Love them or hate them, crowdfunding campaigns are here to stay. Although Kickstarter was not the first crowdfunding site to appear on the web, it’s the one I always think of first. If you’re a gadget freak who lives on the bleeding edge, Kickstarter is where you can go to find some of the newest and
5 quick tips for using Kickstarter Read More
A month ago I posted a gadget diary entry about how I have been thinking about switching back to the iPhone. After yesterday’s mega Apple event, I have made my decision and will be pre-ordering the iPhone 6s Plus this Saturday morning. Why am I going to switch from Android and why have I picked the
Julie’s gadget diary – I’m pre-ordering the iPhone 6s Plus on Saturday, are you? Read More
Each month my electric company (Duke Energy) sends me an energy report to let me know how my electricity usage compares to similar homes in my area. Ever since they began sending these reports, my house has always been shown to use more electricity, which translates into paying higher bills. Even after switching most of
Cree LED bulbs are helping me use less electricity each month #sponsored Read More
Yesterday’s Samsung Unpacked event left me feeling disappointed about their new hardware announcements. However, their Samsung Pay announcement caught my attention. If you aren’t familiar with Samsung Pay, it’s Samsung’s mobile payment application. Like Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Android Pay (not available yet) and CurrentC (also not available yet), it’s a way to use your phone to pay
It’s been almost three years since I put my iPhone 4s in a drawer and switched over to an Android device as my full-time smartphone. Since I made that switch, I’ve used a Samsung Galaxy SIII, a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and my current phone, an LG G3. I’ve also used Android tablets like the Nexus
Julie’s gadget diary – Why I am thinking about switching back to the iPhone Read More
This is my response to John’s article from yesterday. The Apple Watch has been out for 3 months now. I bought a 38mm Space Gray Apple Watch Sport at 12:07 a.m. Pacific Time on April 24, 2015. I showed up on my doorstep in Austin, TX, a week and a half later. I have worn
Counterpoint: Has the Apple Watch lived up to the hype? Read More
First, let me get this out of the way. I am an admitted Apple fanboy. Although I held off on an iPhone until last December when I finally made the Android to iOS switch with an iPhone 6+ (128 GB). My main computer now is a 2013 MacBook Pro, and I also have a 2008
Has the Apple Watch lived up to the hype? Read More
Join me in wishing a very Happy Birthday to our beloved Gadgeteer, Julie! Here’s to a day filled with gadgety fun and happiness – and a piece of birthday cake won’t hurt, either! Source for cake image
Happy Birthday, Julie! Read More
Yesterday was my first day testing a phone on T-Mobile’s network. I was very encouraged with the speedtest.net results at my house and even in my basement. Considering that I live in the middle of 12 wooded acres with no DSL, cable, etc., it’s surprising that they have LTE in my immediate area. But I just happen
Julie’s gadget diary – Test driving T-Mobile day 2 Read More
Yesterday I posted about my discovery that T-mobile coverage in my area actually exists now. I was excited to give them a try so I signed up for their free Test Drive plan on Friday and received an iPhone 5s this afternoon. I get to use the phone for seven days before returning it to a T-mobile
Julie’s gadget diary – Test driving T-Mobile day 1 Read More
I was complaining to Dave Rees last Friday about my flaky LG G3 and telling him that I was torn between upgrading now to a Samsung Galaxy S6 or waiting to see what the LG G4 might be like. An upcoming vacation had me thinking about upgrading sooner rather than later in order to get
Julie’s gadget diary – Test driving T-Mobile Read More
Yesterday I posted an article titled: 5 reasons why I think Apple devices are better than Android devices. Today I’m going to take the opposite view and argue with myself by listing the top 5 reasons why I think Android devices are better than Apple devices. Since I’m a bigger Android fan than Apple fan at the
Julie’s gadget diary – 5 reasons why I think Android devices are better than Apple devices Read More
When it comes to mobile devices, fans can be very vocal when talking about their favorite. If you dare put down their chosen platform, some people will take it as a personal insult worthy of verbal fisticuffs. I’ve often wondered why we can be so sensitive about our choices when it comes to smartphones and tablets. To add
Julie’s gadget diary – 5 reasons why I think Apple devices are better than Android devices Read More
Several weeks ago I posted the first part of this article where I talked about how I would be using a Dell XPS 13 laptop instead of my 13″ MacBook Pro with retina display and 13″ MacBook Air for a week. To remind folks, I only use Macs at home. There are no Windows PCs to be
Julie’s gadget diary – I’ve been cheating on my MacBook with a Dell XPS 13 (part 2) Read More
Since Julie posted her EDC update a few weeks ago I figured I would share my current EDC. Since I don’t think I can pull off the “murse”, I have downsized my EDC to just the items that I can comfortably carry in my pockets. On the left side I have my Toyota Prius key fob with
Larry G’s EDC Update (March 2015) Read More
We live in a world where almost everything is connected and I love it. Whether it’s my Dropcam cameras, my Withings WiFi Body Scale, or even being able to check the temperature of the chicken I have baking in the oven with iDevices thermometer, connected devices are convenient and fun to use. Today I want to
Use your smartphone to control Cree connected LED Bulbs #sponsored Read More
I’ve been a Mac fan for many years now, to the point where we’re an all Apple household with three MacBooks. Jeanne has a 2010 15″ MacBook Pro, while I have a 2014 13″ MacBook Pro with retina display and a 2011 13″ MacBook Air. The MBP has been my main workhorse for Gadgeteer reviews and Photoshop work, and the
Julie’s gadget diary – I’ve been cheating on my MacBook with a Dell XPS 13 (part 1) Read More