So, I was surprised last Friday to see that Amazon has the Asus ZenWatch 3 available for order. Most sites still indicate the new Android Wear device as “coming soon,” including Asus’ own web site, and so I was quite pleased when I saw it available for order. I received the watch this morning, and […]
Fugoo Sport XL Bluetooth Speaker Review
Product reviewed: Fugoo Sport XL ($299.99 at Amazon), also available as Fugoo Style XL ($279.99 at Best Buy) and Fugoo Tough XL ($329.99 at Best Buy) Summary: Significant improvements in sound quality over the original, with an equally significant increase in size. The Fugoo XL is worth its higher price, but make sure you […]
Fugoo Tough Bluetooth Speaker Review
I don’t know about you, but music is instrumental to my productivity (pun intended). It picks me up, calms me down, keeps me focused. I dislike complete silence in general, making my home office a potentially oppressive and patently unproductive environment without some good jams playing in the background. I don’t like wearing headphones for […]
Microsoft Band: A Very Initial Review (Update: Returning it)
Update: Since writing this post, three things have happened. First, I’ve been unable to resolve a connectivity issue with the Lumia 830. Periodically, the Band disconnects from the Lumia and I need to fiddle with the phone to get things connected again. Second, I’ve found sunlight legibility to indeed be an issue. And third, iPhone functionality is […]
LifeCharge iPhone 6 iBatteryCASE Review
I like the iPhone 6 quite a bit. Outside of it lacking a decent Amazon Kindle app, I still prefer my Lumia 830 overall, but the iPhone 6 is a very close second. If absolutely necessary, I could live happily with the iPhone 6 as my daily driver. Battery life, however, isn’t a particular strength […]
A Case Study in Technology Compromise: Parental Control Software
Compromises Abound Parental control software may not seem like much of a productivity topic at first glance, but given the importance of technology in raising kids today, the ability to control access to computing resources is vital. While some people assert that kids shouldn’t be “controlled” this way, I’d bet that most of them aren’t parents and haven’t been […]
The iPhone 6 from an Apple Hater’s Perspective
No, I Don’t Really Hate Apple Okay, so I’m not actually an Apple “hater.” I admit that I’ve been pretty harsh towards Apple for the past few years, but I really dislike this use of the word–to me, hate is something reserved for the worst things in the world; merely strong dislike and harsh words […]
Actiontec ScreenBeam Pro Miracast Receiver Review
I’ve been using Google’s Chromecast since its release on July, 2013 for sending video and mirroring the screen to my HDTVs from my various Android devices. It’s relatively simple to configure, and it generally works. When I switched to Windows 8.1 on my Dell Venue 8 Pro and my Microsoft Surface Pro 3, I was […]
The 8 Best Things About Windows Phone 8.1
I’m working on a one-month (or so) review of Windows Phone 8.1. In the meantime, I thought I’d list the top 8 things I like best about the latest version of Microsoft’s plucky mobile operating system. Here’s a hint: I like it, and more than I like Android. 1. User Interface The UI is a broad […]
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Review Part 2: Executing the Vision
In Part 1 of my impressions of the Surface Pro 3, I waxed philosophical about how well the machine fits within Microsoft’s vision of “one operating system, many devices,” but is it a perfect machine? Of course not. No matter how far technology has progressed in making a machine like the Surface Pro 3 possible, […]