There are some sweet upgrades just announced for the iPod touch, but… no camera. I guess Apple felt that would make it too good. What we have seen is a serious upgrade to the hardware. We’re also seeing a lot of new games coming out, some top-tier titles like Assassin’s Creed: Discovery, as Apple takes a shot at biting a bigger piece of the mobile gaming pie.
And of course there’s the expected price drop: 8GB for $199, 16GB for $229, 32GB for $299, and the brand new 64GB for $399. Plus, the 64GB is “50% faster” — although we know what that means when Apple says it. It does now support OpenGL|ES, which should improve game performance even further. Now, if only it had a D-pad… Read More
DiGORO is certainly not the first robottaking care of household chores out there, but it’s definitely one of the coolest. Developed by a team of researchers at Honda Research Institute and other Japan-based organizations, the robot is capable of imitating human movements like wiping or moving objects from one place to another.
Windows Home Servers are dropping in price and the Acer easyStore H340 is leading the charge; I like that. This server doesn’t offer a lot of extras like the HP MediaSmart line, but it’s amazingly low price outweighs everything else. Read More
You know, I have to give props to Microsoft’s ad agency Bradley and Montgomery for a hilarious new ad promoting IE8. It’s full of celebrities poking fun at the Internet with intermittent sprinklings of IE8 that don’t overwhelm and bore you like other MS ads. Kudos all around. Happy YouTube Friday!
This is one tough, yet elegant bag that will carry your gear in style. I have a
lot of bags, a whole closet full of ‘em. Although I usually don’t get bags in
the $200+ dollar range, (I’m kinda cheap that way), this bag is worth the price
if you need an incredibly well made bag that can go from casual to client
meeting. Read More
There isn’t too much to talk about here, but this gorgeous little case from Acme Made deserves a look from anybody looking for an expensive but lovely little gift for a spouse or lady friend. Pictures and such after the break.
What is it about airports that bring out the worst in humanity? Is it waiting in long, arbitrary lines? Is it being forced to reveal to everyone the holes in your socks? Is it the $100 beers at the airport bar? I try pretty hard to be a “good citizen” when I travel: my carry-on luggage doesn’t exceed the maximum dimensions permitted by the airline; I make sure I put all of my metal objects through the x-ray machine; and I try to make sure I can whip out my laptop to send through the x-ray machine separately from the bag in which I carry it.
Travelon has recently released its own line of TSA-approved Checkpoint Friendly laptop bags, designed to make it easier to get through the security screening without having to unpack your entire kit. I admit that when I received my review models I exclaimed “WTF?”. At first glance, it doesn’t look like these things will actually save any time. But for you, dear reader, I put myself through the indignities of airport security to provide an accurate review of these bags.
It works! The Seattle Sling Dry Bag is waterproof thanks to a dry bag so I decided to put it to the test. Thankfully for the Hitachi Blu-ray camcorder within (love you, Hitachi) it works as advertised. There is more to this case than just a waterproof dry bag though, but simply put, I’m satisfied.
Zagg makes the InvisibleSHIELD line of gadget protectors. The one I install in the video above is for my Canon DigitalRebel XT camera, but they make screen protectors for a dizzying number of cameras, phones, laptops, and more.
Bottom Line
Installation is quick and easy, and it really is invisible once installed. For a couple bucks, these are a pretty nice investment for protecting the display screens on your expensive gear.
I can’t help but compare Kata’s ‘digital rucksack’ to the Lowepro Fastpack I reviewed earlier this year. Its looks, features, and price are similar, but it all boils down to personal preference and what you’re looking to do with it. My initial reaction when the Kata made it into the office was that it was a cheap knockoff of the aforementioned Lowepro, but after a few weeks I’ve changed my mind.
As I mentioned before the Kata and Lowepro are very similar. However, the Kata is roughly 0.5 pounds lighter and offers a few extra features that the Lowerpro does not. But the Kata has thin walls all around I worry that my cameras and laptop will get damaged easier than they would in the Lowepro. Of course, I won’t be testing that theory anytime soon. Read More
The Proporta Gadget Bag is a handy way to store all the stuff that comes with your gadget lifestyle: batteries, battery chargers, media sticks, cables, etc. The Transformer-like nature of this bag means you can take the right-sized compartment for the trip to the coffee shop, or assemble the whole thing to organize your gear for a longer junket. Perfect for those who just have to organize their stuff.
Naneu makes high quality camera bags that double as backpacks. We reviewed the K3 last year and found one minor problem but the K4L has addressed the issue and I believe it’s one of the best camera/laptop bags I’ve used. Read More
Well, now that we all know what side my bread is buttered on let’s take a look at the first of the iPhone 3G cases to hit these shores. While the Proporta Dual Skin case can fit any iPhone, this thin silicone case is made specifically for the 3G. It slips on like a rubber sock and keeps your the phone’s precious case from scratching against objects in your pocket or bag. Read More
Much like its big brother the Fastpack 250, the Flipside 200, has been a great addition to my arsenal of travel luggage for gadgets and cameras alike. The Flipside 200, however, has primarily been my camera bag for the better part of the last three months. My Pentax K200D with battery grip and two extra lenses fit nice and snug into the compartments that are revealed by zipping open the main pouch that’s accessed through the back of the bag. Some might think this is a pain in the rear, but it protects you and your gear from being ripped off if the zippers were exposed. On the exterior of the bag at the base there’s a concealed compartment that can be unvelcroed and taken out to support the feet of a tripod. It’s pretty handy, but it’s not as deep as I would have liked it to be. The Manfrotto tripod I’ve been using wasn’t very stable at times, but it never popped out, thankfully. Read More
In the long, storied history of bag reviews (see Mark Twain’s What Shall I Put In My New Canvas Sack? from the January 1897 issue of Harper’s Monthly for an example of the proto-bag review), it has been the journalist’s imperative to offer a fair and intelligent comparison of the “usefulcasity” of the bag when compared to other bags of the same or similar capacity. The earliest reviews often ignored this simple requirement — that all bags designed to contain objects must and can be compared to each other.
To that end I have decided to compare the Golla Chorus 15.4-inch bag to a plastic bag received for free at the local food market. The reader’s initial reaction, when reading that last line, is to expect the writer to be on crack. This, however, is not the case. He is, instead, hopped on on snark and coffee.
The Otterbox Armor Series iPod Touch case is waterproof, dustproof, dirtproof, sandproof, and drop-proof while at the same time allowing access to most of the Touch’s functions. While the extra added bulk might scare some people off, those who need maximum protection at a not-too-shabby price will appreciate this case.
It seems my never-ending quest for the ultimate gear bag has come to an end. LowePro, purveyors of everything camera related, appears to be the definitive winner at the moment. I’ve been testing out the Fastpack backpack over the last couple weeks and it’s been a great experience. It’s meant to be a photographers gear bag, but I’ve found that all the pockets for lenses and flashes are great for all the gadgets I tote around with me while traveling. Read More
