Short version: Absolutely worth a play, but there are a number of flaws that cause DEHR to fall short of greatness. The bosses, the “domestic” environments, and certain je ne sais quois mais ce n’est pas bien about the level design. It’s far from perfect, but the core gameplay, second by second, is fun and exciting. → Read More
Short version: A nice-looking device, and it works more or less as advertised, but the quality of the printing simply isn’t good enough. If you want instant photos, analog is still the way to go. → Read More
Short version: A solid pair of laptop or desk speakers, unremarkable but warm and powerful, with an understated and attractive design. More attention to detail would help justify their price, though. → Read More
With HD video recording, great image quality, and a solid selection of lenses, the Nikon D5100 and Canon T3i are on the top of a lot of wish lists out there. For people already in the Canon or Nikon camp (full disclosure: I’m a Canon man), the choice is obvious if an upgrade is in their future, but for the less dogmatic and new recruits to the DSLR crowd, it’s not nearly as clear-cut. $800 buys… → Read More
Short Version
As a long-time fan of Olympus’ Micro 4/3s series of cameras, I came to the E-P3 expecting good things. I was not disappointed. The camera is like Mini Cooper or a Smart car: it gets you where you need to go, you have fun on the way, and the resulting savings in size, bulk, and, in some ways, price makes it a great second camera for a DSLR buff or a great first camera for someone… → Read More
In my short years as an ‘aspiring’ watch photographer, few timepieces have truly evaded a good picture as the Chanel J12 Chromatic. The rich universe of hues that emit from Chanel’s new “chromatic” material are more or less impossible to capture in stills – as the colors mix and meld with the light so amazingly. It is a sin to evaluate this watch for yourself seeing it in still images alone. → Read More
Short version: This new mechanical keyboard from Razer is clicky and attractive, but some layout and design choices irk me, and this thing ain’t cheap. → Read More
Short version: An attractive and compact pair of headphones, not revolutionary by any means, but powerful and portable, and hey, they say “Marshall” on them. → Read More
Short version: 3M’s MPro series puts on a little weight! It’s still smaller than a regular projector, but it’s chunkier than every pico projector out there. But it’s also bright and well-built. If you’re not bothered by its girth, this is a great option, though the whole class of devices is still pretty expensive. → Read More
Short version: It’s hard to beat the ShowWX on portability and convenience, but on brightness and image quality it falls short of the competition. → Read More
Short version:
EA Sports Active 2 can be your own personal trainer if you manage to set up Kinect properly and you have space where you can exercise. The online tracking is a nice addition and the exercises are great. If you’re looking for something to keep you healthy on the long run, this is for you. → Read More
Anybody out there remember the Rockman? It was this little personal guitar amplifier, about the size of a Sony Walkman (adding “man” to anything portable was all the rage in the 80s, you know).The Rockman let you play distorted guitar through headphones and it curiously made everything you played sound like BOSTON. The AmpliTube iRig combo for the iPhone is kind of like the Rockman… → Read More
Short version: Versatile but not particularly compact, the Vandal is a good choice for the hardcore urban biker/family man who needs to fit everything in his backpack, rain or shine. → Read More
[Spain] I like writing about startups coming out of Spain that clearly have international competition, and not just in the US. It’s a very good sign. Clearly, if more than one company in different parts of the world sees the need for a solution, then they’re probably onto something. It also makes it really interesting to see which ones will succeed and which ones will fail and why. Hotel… → Read More
Of course, nothing can really ever compare to the two bowling extravaganzas forever etched into my memory. These would be Shawnee Lanes and the inconceivably named Mr. Bill’s Bowling Center. Edificial landmarks that stain the Midwestern memory of my youth. I was no bowling champion. I was no bowler at all really. In fact, I don’t even like bowling. So when I was asked to review… → Read More
So I’m going through my twitter stream a while back and I see several links from some former colleagues of mine, pointing to a new iPhone app called ColorSnap, by Sherwin-Williams. So what right? There are a million (ok, fifty thousand) iPhone apps out there—what’s so interesting about this one? Well, two things. One, it was developed by my former employer, Resource Interactive, for whom… → Read More
The Machinedrum is not something you can easily acquire. It’s hard to find Elektron in your local drum machine shop – not that there are many drum machine shops out there but fortunately all their products can be ordered online – if the price isn’t too steep for you. Anyway, I was eager to try this little beast out so let’s see what it can do. The Machinedrum is a… → Read More
I’m no marketing wizard, but Guitar Hero Smash Hits could have been called Guitar Hero: Songs From The First Guitar Hero Games Before The Drums and Microphone Existed But Now You Can Play the Good Songs from Those Games on the Drums and Sing Too. Again, I’m no marketing wizard. And Guitar Hero Smash Hits isn’t a bad game at all. It is what it is, though: a greatest hits game. If… → Read More
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
I don’t get a bonerd for LEGOs like some people I know whose names start with a J and end with an S and work for a site that rhymes with shmimono, but I have fond memories of spending countless hours as a youth erecting LEGO fortresses and castles and whatever else my imagination could conjure up. It was always about smashing the other fortress and kicking some tiny LEGO ass, but that was at… → Read More
Quickie: A paper-thin gaming mouse pad that stays in place thanks to a sticky backside and a surface that really does improve mouse tracking. And the Razer Shpex is only $15. → Read More
Short Version: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 with the Wii MotionPlus accessory is the closest you can get to a true golf simulation for $60. The already-great series gets a nice boost this year with true one-to-one motion sensing, addictive online play, and a bevy of other new features that easily justify the purchase. → Read More
Short Version: The LX195 is great back-up solution for both PCs and Macs. It’s a tad overpriced and lacks expandability, but is still a solid Windows Home Server. Oh, and there’s a contest. → Read More
Here it is, action sport stars, some real POV footage taken with the VholdR ContourHD instead of the garbage office tour I took earlier in the week. Turn down the volume on your speakers! I’ve included the video that’s currently live on VholdR’s site and YouTube for the full HD video. → Read More
It’s not here. We’re not big enough to get one in the first wave of releases and we clearly haven’t “gone native” with the PR persons involved. We’ll have a thorough and intelligent review up after the weekend. Until then, enjoy the above video of Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton. For a great examination of this situation by a site that we should all respect and… → Read More
Short Version: Samsung has put out another well-priced, nicely-featured camcorder in the SMX-F34. If you’re looking for a little more than a simple handheld flash memory camcorder but don’t want to pay top dollar for a high-definition video camera, this model deserves a closer look thanks to marathon battery life, good image quality, 16GB of built-in storage, and a 34x optical zoom all… → Read More
Seattle, WA
San Diego, CA
Menlo Park, CA
San Francisco, CA
Berlin, Germany
Boston, MA
