Let's Talk Tech
Sennheiser impressed last year with the high end Momentum headphones, and now they’re positioning the Urbanite line as their mid-range audio experience. A unique blend of modern design and incredible build quality, do these cans have what it takes to stand up to more established “FashionPhones” brands? Let’s take a listen!
CES this year saw a tremendous number of “evolution” announcements. There weren’t any mind-blowing reveals, but we saw an entire industry looking to iterate and improve on products far faster than previous entries into new territory. Where wearable tech and home automation were buzzwords last year, we saw real practical application this year.
Every show, my goal is to find something I think is cool. It might not be the most practical, or revolutionary, but I want to see a company try something different, something novel. Here are a few of my favorite finds from this year’s show floor!
Click on ANY of the pics below to watch our video coverage from the show floor!
Continue reading “SomeGadgetGuy’s Favorite Finds from CES 2015”
One of my favorite finds from a LootCrate, I’ve been using a Batman Mighty Wallet exclusively for a little more than six months.
How has it held up? Let’s take a look!
Continue reading “Six Months with a DynoMighty Might Wallet – Long Term Review”
I’ve been super critical of the smartwatch. I make no effort to hide the fact that I hope people will move directly to heads up displays soon. I think they’re an evolutionary midpoint, a convenient way to continue the conversation on wearable computing started by Bluetooth headsets. Having worn watches like the Toq, Martian, and Pebble for a couple months now though, my opinion on smartwatches has changed a bit, and lately I’ve been more positive on the experience.
During my recent trip to Vancouver, I opted for a Windows Phone instead of an Android. It provided me a better camera and the ability to store maps for offline use, handy as data was something of a premium on my pre-pay SIM. Unfortunately this meant no smartwatch support. I was surprised by how much I missed wearing one… Continue reading “My Week Without a Smartwatch…”
I talk a lot about smartwatches, but how about a timepiece focused on the opposite? Happy Hour Time pieces sent me over one of their watches with features like “giant 5 for easy visual indication of happy hour” and a bottle opener built into the wrist strap. Let’s take it for a spin!
More info on Happy Hour Timepieces: http://happyhourtimepieces.com/
They do look better, less sci-fi, more natural.
I think heads up displays are our wearable tech future. After using several fantastic smartwatches, nothing seems to solve the problem of eye-level information like Google Glass. Of course it brings a completely different kind of stigma in that you’re wearing a computer on your face, which really seems to weird people out. A common criticism of Glass is that it looks too geeky, and now it seems Google is taking steps to curb that complaint.
Following their partnership with eye wear designer Warby Parker, Google is piggy-backing on the designer’s Titanium Collection of frames with four new looks for Glass that Google is calling “The Titanium Collection”. Not very original, but Google isn’t known for fashion, so maybe it’s better they leave that job to the pros.
This also marks the beginning of Glass supporting prescription lenses. From the FAQ: “Google is in partnership with VSP Vision Care for VSP members and VSP eye care providers to receive reimbursement on Glass frames up to the frame allowance provided within their current vision benefit. The prescription lenses are also covered under the patients’ lens benefit offering through their VSP coverage.”
See the new frames in this Google promo vid:
This does not change the process by which you go about getting Glass, it’s still a very public BETA, and the Explorer program is still the gateway through which people acquire their own face computer. This is simply another iteration in the design of the heads up display, hopefully making them a bit more socially acceptable for people who are concerned about the design of the original Explorer Edition Glass. Google is pushing into very new territory, and that can make consumers squirrely. Restaurant owners asking Explorers to leave, law enforcement issuing citations for operating motor vehicles with screens visible to the driver, there’s a stigma to this product Google’s going to need to overcome. You know you’re in trouble when The Simpsons dedicates an entire episode to showcasing how socially awkward heads up displays are.
The Explorer program isn’t getting the job done. For as many people who are fantastic ambassadors for this technology, there are just as many Glassholes who taint the product in the minds of people who might be apprehensive about its capabilities and their privacy. Google is still publicly stating “the end of 2014” for the consumer launch of Glass, but they’ve got some significant PR hurdles to clear before then. These new frames at least area step in the right direction.
RELATED: Chris Emerson Interview – Two Months as a Glass Explorer
Full Google FAQ below: Continue reading “Will more attractive frames solve Google’s Glass perception problem?”
It’s simple. It’s clean. Modern look, nicely molded for the corners of the tablet. A microsuede cover protects your screen. Nice color accents, and it doubles as a stand. Nicely done Google.
Here’s the thing I find kind of funny. People are already complain that the case is a little pricey. $49.99 is a touch steep when we’re already seeing cheaper options online, but this is the official branded Nexus 7 case. Also, how is Google supposed to make any money on their hardware sales when the tablet is only $229?
Anywho, if you’re shopping the new Nexus 7, and want to add on a nice looking case at time of purchase, Google now has a slick little option for you. I’m partial to the Grey case with Blue accents. I think that looks sharp.
(via Google Play)
Vertu makes some ridiculous “luxury” smartphones. In years past, you would pay crazy amounts of money to own gadgets made out of exotic materials, but often with lagging tech. Their newest handset ‘Constellation’ marks the first time their penchant for high end materials has also moved the tech industry forward a bit however.
While never the point of a Vertu, the specs feel “nice” but a bit dated. Constellation is powered by a dual-core Snapdragon and comes with 32GB of storage. The 4.3″ screen has a 720p resolution, but the actual excitement comes from what that screen is made out of. A 5.1″ slab of Sapphire protects the front face of the phone. Not some BS “Saffire” branding, nope the actual gem, and sapphire is almost as hard as diamond. This screen should be virtually scratch proof (unless you rub a diamond against it), and should prove a bit more durable for bumps and drops.
Color me impressed. I usually mock Vertu handsets, but this is one “fancy” material I hope will eventually filter down into the phones we plebs use…
Constellation should be available in stores later this month at a price of €4,900 (about $6600).
Full PR after the break.
Continue reading “Vertu announces Constellation smartphone with 4.3″ Sapphire screen”