Outdoor Tech Rhinos: Rugged Headphones at CES 2017

Good audio isn’t just for indoor conditions. Outdoor Tech is a California based company making rugged lifestyle gear. We got to take a look at the Rhino Headphones, durable water resistant cans designed for an active lifestyle.

Review: Dog & Bone Wetsuit case for iPhone 6 – Slim, Rugged, and Waterproof!

The iPhone 6 is a gorgeous phone, but it’s not known for being the most rugged gadget on the market. Australian manufacturer Dog & Bone have adapted their wetsuit case for Apple’s latest and greatest. Let’s take a look!

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Review: Outdoor Tech Buckshot Speaker – Bluetooth, Rugged, Water Resistant

outdoor technology buckshot bluetooth speaker review

I’m a big fan of Outdoor Tech gear, recently reviewing their Turtle Shell Speaker. They’ve carved out a nice little niche in offering up unique designs and rugged builds.

The Buckshot follows this tradition, and is one of the more compact portable speaker systems I’ve ever used. Don’t let its small size fool you though, it gets decently loud. Let’s take a listen!

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Review: Outdoor Tech Turtle Shell 2.0 – Water Resistant Bluetooth Speaker

turtle shell 2.0 review SomeGadgetGuy

I’m really liking this new crop of outdoor and ruggedized gear.

I enjoyed Outdoor Tech’s ADAPT bluetooth headphone adapter, and they were kind enough to send out a Turtle Shell 2.0 to run through our audio test.

I know I act like a little kid, but whenever something is water resistant in the slightest, it’s ten times more fun to review…

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IFA 2013: Sony Xperia Z1 Android phone with 20.7MP camera and 5″ HD screen

xperia-Z1-hero-black-somegadgetguy smartphone androidSony has its work cut out for itself in scratching out a niche in the Android ecosystem. They’ve been releasing quality hardware, and their fan base, while small, is passionate. With the announcement of the Z1, they’re hoping to give the Galaxies and Ones a run for their (customer’s) money.

The Xperia Z1 sports a five inch 1080p “Triluminous” LCD utilizing the same color tech found in Sony’s TV lineup. Under the hood you’ll find a Qualcomm 800 quad-core CPU paired up with 2GB of RAM which should handily outperform the GS4 and HTC One. 16GB of onboard storage is lean these days, but you do have access to an SD card slot to expand. A non-removeable 3000mAh battery should perform decently, but we haven’t seen many real world battery tests of the Qualcomm 800, so the increased battery capacity might get eaten by the more powerful internals.

The camera is a huge 20.7MP job with a 27mm wide angle lens (good for group shots and landscapes) and a fast f2.0 sperture for low light sensitivity. The image sensor is the same size as those found in most point and shoot cameras. Hopefully that combo works out, as there’s no mention of image stabilization on board, and 20 blurry megapixels are no fun.  If you pull the shot off however, Sony is including software to aid in sharing to your family and friends and favorite social networks.

xperia-Z1-gallery-03-1240x840-7d3dbfe4986436b7f56e2252c3114236Also of note, while not a rugged device, it will feature enhanced water resistance like that found on the original Xperia Z. So you folks who drop your phone in fluids (I don’t want to know what you drop your phone in, please don’t tell me) will have a little extra piece of mind that your handset might actually survive a two year contract.

the Z1 will ship with Android 4.2.2 alongside Sony’s custom skin and widgets, and availability is set for “later this month” No word yet on pricing and availability, but it will come in black, white, and purple, so that’s cool.

All the rest of the details on the Sony site.