Author: Juan Carlos Bagnell

Juan has been obsessed with consumer electronics since before computers had GUI’s. Out of college he worked on a JIT computing contract which supported DOE facilities in New Mexico. He’s been featured on numerous podcasts and radio shows lending his tech insights. You can also find him in LA directing voice over actors and producing spoken word recording.
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Top 5 for the week starting Dec 1st, 2013 – LG G2 news, Batteries, and Cases!

ballistic hydra waterproof case iphone 5s test review somegadgetguyThese were the top read and most shared stories from SomeGadgetGuy last week! LG ruled the week, but we also got in a few accessories. Nice little round up as we wrap up 2013 and the holiday buying season!

Let’s jump in!

5 – Using a Ballistic Hydra Rugged case for iPhone 5 on an iPhone 5S

The nice thing about how Apple updates the iPhone with a tick-tock system, cases for the iPhone 5 largely work with the iPhone 5S. If you’ve been looking for a rugged case for the 5S, this waterproof case might do the trick!

4 – Review: Ravpower Lipstick Charger and Flashlight

003This week, Chris took a look at a handy little portable charger + flashlight combo. RAVPower has become a favorite here at SGG, offering up very good mobile charging solutions at great prices. Looking to extend your phone’s run time out in the field, maybe this gadget will help?

3 – Ask Juan: Why won’t my Moto X show up as a USB drive on my Mac?

An opportunity to play a little tech support? On a tech blog? Who’d have thunk it? Robin has a problem with his Moto X and his Mac playing nice together. Seems this is a pretty common problem seeing how popular this post was last week…

2 – Real World Battery Test: The LG G2 – 47 hours to “Critically Low”

LG G2 Camera reviewI don’t do a lot of battery bench marking. It’s very time consuming, and usage is very relative. What’s heavy to one person is light use for another.  That said, when a phone comes along with exceptional battery life, I at least need to point out how it handled real world activities.

1 – Camera Test: The LG G2 on AT&T – video samples from a 13MP Android with Optical Image Stabilization!

And the number one story from last week was a doozy! LG made some pretty bold claims surrounding the camera on the G2. It’s only the second Android with optical image stabilization, and it has three times the resolution as the HTC One. Did the G2 camera live up to the hype?

We’re nothing without you readers, and we certainly can’t compete against the big blogs by ourselves. We always greatly appreciate not only the likes, but the sharing on social sites like Google Plus, Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit. The more we get to talk with other tech fans, the better we get, and soon we’ll be able to reward that participation with some fun contests coming up soon!

Thanks for reading, and if you feel we missed a big story this week, or you have a hot tip, please drop us a line on our Contact Page!

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Weekly Tech Round Table Dec 7, 2013: Prime Air, Windows Threshold, Nexus TV, and AT&T Data Plans

booredatwork roundtableTime for our weekly tech round table discussion with Boored at Work, BWOne, Mobile Burn, and yours truly.

Every Saturday at 8:30 am Pacific, we discuss the week’s biggest tech stories! This week we talk up Amazon’s drone program, Microsoft unifying Windows Phone and Windows 8, What Google is trying to do to your living room, and AT&T’s new cheaper mobile share plans!

Lot’s to cover this week, so let’s get to it!

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Set your Calendar! Experts Q&A Episode 2: Android Boogaloo!

experts round table androidThis will be a Hangout on Air event. Link will be provided here before the broadcast goes live.

Our first Experts Q&A was a hit, and now we’re ready to follow it up with our next topic! For this next round table, we’re going to chat all things Android! Phones, Tablets, Apps, Updates, Services. You bring the questions, we’ll bring the experts! Chat with us live while we’re on the air! It’ll be fun. I promise.

Mark your calendars! We’re a GO for Wednesday December 11 at 8pm Pacific. Hope to see you there!

Google Plus event page.

Experts Q&A 1: Live Tiles are the Future! – https://somegadgetguy.com/2013/11/26/watch-our-experts-qa-live-here-bwone-somegadgetguy-answer-your-microsoft-questions/

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AT&T Overhauls Mobile Share Plans, Cuts Prices

att mobile share plansSimplifying is the name of the game over at Big Blue.

Customers bringing their own phone, or who have paid off their phone from a previous contract might save as much as $25 per line compared to the previous AT&T Mobile Share plans. Starting December 8th, the new rates go into effect. All plans include unlimited talk and text, and are tiered solely by how much data you want to pool.

Starting at $20 a month for 300MB and climbing up to 50GB for $375, the rates for individual devices has been simplified too. Smartphones off contract will cost $25 a month and smartphones on contract will cost $40 a month. So an individual who bought a phone outright on the lowest tier data plan will pay $45 a month.

Tablets can be added to share your data for $10 a month, and additional feature phones, home phones, and mobile hotspots can be added for $20. All in all a pretty decent combo for AT&T customers. Plans which are easier to understand, and you’re going to save a little cash at the same time.

Full PR after the jump

Continue reading “AT&T Overhauls Mobile Share Plans, Cuts Prices”

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PSA: Last month to enjoy ad-free Pandora music streaming for free on Windows Phone!

c4e43008-640c-43e4-af1e-a963de3b3189Months ago, to celebrate the arrival of a proper app, Pandora offered up ad-free streaming for all Windows Phone users through the end of the year!

Well that means you only have a couple weeks left to enjoy commercial-free tunes if you’re rocking some Live Tiles. Fire up the app and start rocking out! Starting January 1 2014, you’ll either have to listen to commercials or pony up some cash.

Pandora on Windows Phone

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Quick Tip: Stream movies and music in the background on Windows 8 and RT

youtube on windows 8Reader question!

500embo has a problem. When streaming Youtube in Windows 8, he can’t find a way to keep the audio playing in the background whenever his browser isn’t on the screen.

Fret not, it’s an easy trick. Here’s how!

;aoisdn;aoisdn

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AT&T EverThere: protecting Senior Citizens with advanced fall detection, Emergency care center calling

photo_01We’re a long way evolved from Life Call’s “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up”.

Utilizing a smartphone style data connection, AT&T’s EverThere is bringing some tech sophistication to the discussion of health and personal monitoring. Each year, one third of adults over the age of 65 experience falls, many of which can cause serious injuries. EverThere brings a combination of GPS and movement tracking to help aid in the first aid response.

Like a fitness tracker, EverThere can detect movement, so in the event of a fall, paramedics can be alerted automatically. Unlike more home-based monitoring, the unit includes GPS so if a Senior family member is hurt while out and about, they location can be easily found. Connected to AT&T’s network, EverThere users can get help anywhere there’s a cellphone connection. A small, lightweight puck-like device can be worn on a chain or clipped to a belt, and the unit is battery powered for up to 36 hours.

Lastly, EverThere is an IP67 ruggedly built gadget, making it drop resistant, freeze resistant, and waterproof. It’s all about piece of mind, and you don’t want to have to worry about your emergency communication gadget getting damaged while in the middle of an emergency.

Prices start at $99 on an 11 month contract and a monthly rate of $29.99 for the EverThere service.

Full PR after the jump.

Continue reading “AT&T EverThere: protecting Senior Citizens with advanced fall detection, Emergency care center calling”

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Ask Juan: Now that I own an RT tablet, will Windows RT disappear?

lumia 2520 20Just got this question from a reader. Jim asks:

As a recent purchaser of a Nokia Lumia 2520 tablet I am starting to get a little concerned about Windows RT folding or at least developers not making apps. Is this real and if so what does that mean for my tabby?

Hey Jim! First of all congrats on the Lumia! It was my Windows Tablet pick of the year!

So here’s the deal.

Windows RT as we know it today probably wont stick around long, and as the owner of a 2520 this is a good thing for you…  Continue reading “Ask Juan: Now that I own an RT tablet, will Windows RT disappear?”

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