When you log in to your account you are offered a selection of magazines to choose from. The membership section also breaks down all of your magazine choices by month. An approximate delivery date is also displayed so you can get a feeling for when the magazine will arrive.I first signed up of the service in late August and it took about 4 weeks for my first two magazines to arrive. My third magazine didn’t arrive for almost two months, but it was National Geographic traveler which ended up being a bi-monthly magazine. However I could have opted to substitute with another magazine during the first month.

Overall, I’m enjoying the MAGHOUND service very much, it’s a good value and the system is very easy to use. And I think it will allow people the opportunity to try out magazines that they ordinarily wouldn’t have. I also think that MAGHOUND has the potential to breathe some new life in to the ailing magazine industry by allowing people to break free from subscriptions. My only complaint is that while the selection is pretty robust, there are a couple of my favorite reads that still aren’t offered in their catalog. However, MAGHOUND says that they’re continuously working on expanding their selection of magazines. It’s also worth mentioning that MAGHOUND is currently offering a great sweepstakes where folks can win a trip to New York and a $1,500 shopping spree.

The Good:
Hassle free system, get to experience a variety of different magazines, say goodbye to 12 month Magazine subscriptions

The Bad:
Would like to see an even bigger selection of magazines

Design:
The headphones weigh just 80g and are very easy to carry around. On top of that, they fold for easy storage in your bag, or even in a larger sized pocket. The headset is lined with a velor like material so that it sits comfortably on your head, and we found it comfortable to wear, even when wearing it for long periods of time. On the underside of the headset there is a battery indicator light and a bluetooth status light.
The Halo’s earpieces also conveniently extend out by pulling them down so that the headphones cane a perfect fit for any head-size. On the right earcup there are touch controls for volume up down, skip ahead, and back, and there is also an answer and end button in the center. The answer and end button also double as the play/pause button.
To increase the volume you swipe upwards along the controls, to lower the volume, you swipe downwards. To skip forward or backward, you tap on the + or – on the volume slider. We found that sometimes it took a few tries to successfully get the skip forward/skip back to work.

 

What’s in the box:
In the box you get a a USB wall charger, and a black rigid neoprene case to protect the headset when you’re traveling. A 3.5mm cable is also included, which brings us to one of the Halo’s very unique features – the Halo can also work as a regular wired pair of headhones that works with any device with a standard 3.5mm jack. Unfortunately, while using it as a wired pair, you wont be able to take advantage of any of its bluetooth features. Still, this is as welcome trick of the Halo to have up its sleeve.

Set-up:
The Halo automatically turns on when you unfold its earpieces – very neat! Pairing with both my iMac, iPhone and myTouch 3G was a cinch. And what is really neat about the Halo is that it features MultiUse, which allows you too connect to two connections simultaneously. That means you can have it connected to your computer and cell phone at the very same time.

Call Quality:
I was able to hear callers very clearly, and they said that they could hear me pretty well, but that they could also hear some background noise. Overall, I found the call quality to very good and I was always able to hear callers loud and without too much background noise.

Battery life:
According to Jabra, a full charge, which takes about two hours provides you with about 8 hours of talk time or listening to music. In actual use we didn’t get quite 8 hours, but near it.

Music:
The Jabra Halo’s audio quality is very good and is one of the best we’ve experienced with a bluetooth stereo headphones. It’s not replacement for a pair of Shures or Beats by Dr. Dre, but for a wireless pair it  has a very strong midrange and pretty clean sonics. Bass reproduction on the other hand is just barely there with these headphones, so bass aficionados will need to look elsewhere, Personally, I’m not one for strong Bass so the Halo is great for me.

Unfortunately while the iPhone finally does have support for A2DP, it does not support all the features of AVRCP, and only play and pause are enabled.

Conclusion:
Overall, we really like the Jabra Halo. It’s unique minimalist design with touch screen controls, strong feature set, and good audio quality make it one of the top of the line bluetooth headphones out there. You also will enjoy wearing this headset for long periods of times. The price is fair too for $129.99.

The Good: Sleek, minimalist and lightweight design will appeal to both men and women, comfortable to wear, neat touch screen controls, doubles as a wired pair of headphones of your non-bluetooth MP3 player, very good mid-range

The Bad: Bass reproduction is weak, skip forward/back controls can be wonky, need to be careful when folding and unfolding that you don’t break the headset

Design and Build Quality:
The Bold 9700 has a slimmed down size and formfactor compared to the original. The Bold 9700 measures 4.3 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches in comparison to the original Bold’s 4.5 x 2.6 x 0.6-inch measurements. During its time off, the device has also dropped .5 ounces and weighs 4.3 ounces compared to the Bold 9000’s 4.8 ounces. The build quality of the Bold 9700 feels very good. Its new form-factor also seems more slick and refined, and even less masculine. The infamous leather finish on the back of the Bold is still there and is still a really nice touch.

 

Gone is the trackball from the original Bold 9000, in its place is a new optical trackpad which was first used on T-Mobile’s Curve 8520. The optical trackpad took some getting used too; especially after having been accustomed to using the the trackball on my Curve 8900 but I really – really like it. It makes operating the device and menus much less strenuous. You really reap the benefits of the optical trackpad when viewing web sites, since its now much easier to move around in all different directions without tediously rolling a trackball under your thumb. The trackball was also notorious for breaking, so now there is one less hardware issue to worry about.

Display:
The device has a 480 x 360 resolution compared to the Bold’s original 2.6″ 480×320 resolution. Overall, the Bold 9700’s display is excellent, and very colorful, making video playback very pleasant as well as viewing photos.

Keyboard:
Since the Bold 2 is smaller in size, its keyboard keys are also smaller and more cramped than the original Bold. Unlike the Curve which has some spacing between each key, the Bold’s keys are all squeezed in tightly up next to one another and they have a squishy feel when you’re typing. The Bold 9700’s keys also retain the raised edges of its predecessor. The smaller keyboard means that people with bigger fingers and long nails might struggle with the keyboard. I personally find the typing experience on the Bold comfortable, but my co-editor preferred the feel of the Curve 8900’s keyboard which had smaller sized, harder keys with more space in between each key.

Performance and U.I.:
The 9700 runs the new BlackBerry OS 5.0 very snappily thanks to its 624mhz processor. We didn’t notice much lag at all when multi-tasking. The 5.0’s U.I. isn’t a drastic change but it provides pretty noticeable speed improvements and some perks like an improved web browser.

Software:
The 9700 comes with Dataviz Documents To Go which lets you view Word, Excel, and Powerpoint Docs. A full suite of IM apps are also included – there is a dedicated app of reach major IM platform AIM, Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and ICQ. You can run IM applications in the background and receive notifications of new messages with a small icon on top of the screen just like you do when new emails come in. It would be much easier if they included a multi-service IM client, but there is always the BlackBerry App World for you to download apps from later.  But oddly enough BlackBerry App World didn’t come preinstalled, so we had to download it and install it on our own. The device also comes preloaded with 5 games including Soduku, and of course brick-breaker.

Web browsing:
First off, navigating web sites is now so much more enjoyable using the optical trackpad! Testing the 9700 in New York City, using T-mobile’s 3G network we experienced the following loading times:

13 seconds for NYTimes.com (mobile version)
10 seconds for CNN.com (mobile version)
1:10 seconds for ChipChick.com
2.8 seconds for Google.com (mobile version)
7 seconds for YouTube (mobile version)
16 seconds for ESPN (mobile version)
17 seconds for TMZ.com
35 seconds for SmashingMagazine.com
44 seconds for Bensbargains.net

Overall, T-Mobile’s 3G network seems pretty speedy, but we recommend using the Opera web browser to really take advantage of T-Mobile’s 3G network

Call Quality:
Call quality on the Bold 9700 is very, very good. And is a big improvement over previous BlackBerry models that we’ve used. In New York City so far we’ve only been greeted with 5 bars, but we’ve yet to travel outside of Manhattan where T-mobile’s coverage is generally very good, we also haven’t experienced any dropped calls. Except that last night T-Mobile did experience some outages in NYC.

When you’re in a call, there is a special option to “Enhance call audio”. Even when set to the default Normal quality, call quality is very good. The other two options include Boost Bass and Boost Treble of your voice. Callers on the other end said that Boost Bass made them hear me more clearer and crisper and Boost Treble not only made them hear me sound clearer and crisper, but it also made me sound louder to their ears, so much so that they had to turn down their handset’s volume.

The device has support for T-Mobile’s @Home service. For $9.99 a month this service will give you unlimited calls whenever you’re on your home Wi-Fi connection or at a hotspot.

Multimedia:
Like the previous Bold, the 9700 is a decent multimedia machine. Videos playback nicely and audio sounds good on the 3.5mm headphone jack. The device supports MP3, WMA, AAC, And OGG music files, as well as MP4, DIVX and WMV file support to 640×480 in resolution.  There is a 2GB microSD card included to get you started on saving docs. Unfortunately even the mobile version of YouTube doesn’t work to well with the BlackBerry’s browser even when connected via Wi-Fi. If you’re looking for video entertainment on the go, the PrimeTime2Go video app for $9.99 a month will give you access to many popular TV shows like Heroes and CSI, but only over Wi-Fi. There are also other great apps like Slacker which works great for with the BlackBerry when you want to listen to music on the go.

Battery:
We’ve only been using the Bold 9700 for a few days, and so far the battery has lasted through a day of average use.

Camera and Video Camera:
The 3.2 megapixel camera captures great shots, much superior to most of the smartphones out there with good color reproduction, even in dimly lit rooms. Videos are also good quality but have a low 480×352 resolution.

Conclusion:
The BlackBerry Bold 9700 isn’t a massive upgrade from its predecessor, it’s more about making refinements to an already great workhorse of a smartphone. The handset still can’t compete with the multimedia chops of the iPhone, and even of the latest Android devices, but it’s still a super reliable business smartphone. The Bold will be available from T-Mobile soon for a $199 with a 2 year contract. If you are looking to retire your older BlackBerry, you should definitely consider giving this one a whirl.

The Good:

Better camera than the original Bold, excellent display, optical trackpad makes operating the device much more enjoyable, great call quality with call enhancement feature, snappy performance, great build quality and form-factor, solid multimedia device, visual voicemail is always a nice touch

The Bad:

Keypad is smallish and might be difficult to use for bigger fingers, BlackBerry’s built-in web browser doesn’t do T-Mobile’s 3G network justice, BlackBerry App World still doesn’t come close to the AppStore, and the device still doesn’t come close to the iPhone’s multimedia capabilities

The bag comes in two colors: Restart Greyscale Pixel (a cute checkerboard pattern) and Speakeasy Grey Pinstripe. With two sections, one is a main compartment and one is a smaller laptop compartment. The thinner side is designed to house your 15″ laptop (or smaller), and the thicker side acts as your carry-on luggage for makeup, papers, books, or whatever you would normally pack. Everytime I travel, I have to lug a laptop case along with my carry-on bag, which usually results in stress and a backache. What I liked about this bag is that it’s a laptop bag and carry-on in one. I don’t have to carry an extra bulky laptop bag along with my regular carry-on – it’s combined.

 

The bag looks like two bags stuck together. When you’re ready to go through security you unsnap the two Velcro sections and lay it flat on the conveyor belt. This allows TSA security to clearly view what’s in your bag and laptop back at the same time. When the compartments are snapped together, you can carry the bag as a briefcase or zipper the handle into the bag and attach the included strap to carry it as a messenger bag. The super cute bag has a patterned outside and a quilted compartmentalized interior. On the inside of the bag, the laptop case zippers shut and is padded with micro-fleece to keep your laptop warm, snuggly, and protected. The carry-on side is lightly quilted to protect your valuables and the material seems like if something exploded your laptop wouldn’t be ruined forever. The inside of the bag has special compartments for your mp3 player, a water bottle, cell phone, etc. so you can easily access important things like passports when going through security. Always convenient so you’re not digging through bag looking for your passport.

Conclusion:
The Speck CorePack Fly is beautifully made, cute, and durable. I felt confident carrying my laptop and valuables in this well crafted bag. The problem? It’s really bulky. Yes, it is a laptop case and carry-on bag in one. Overall, this well made bag is perfect for airport travel where a little extra bulk is acceptable. It decreases the stress and hassle of going through security with multiple bags and it’s literally an all-in-one carry-on and laptop bag for convenience. As a regular laptop case for carrying your bag to work or the library, this bag isn’t ideal. But for only $90, this bag is worth it for airport travel alone.

The Good: An all in one case that carries your laptop and additional accessories and some clothes for a quick trip, TSA friendly, lots of pockets!

The Bad: Bag is very bulky and could become heavy if you load it up with lots of stuff.

Check out our review of Speck’s TuckPack and AftPack.

 

I’m probably one of the few lucky people in NYC that actually has a sun drenched apartment. Being that this device was primarily marketed to those that actually lack sunlight in their bedrooms, I was curious to see if it would make any effect on me at all. Once you take the Philips Wake-Up light out of the box it includes an attached electrical cord, an antenna for the FM Radio, and a manual. Its design is simple and sleek and leaves a small footprint no matter where you put it in your room. All you have to do is place it somewhere on your desk or nightstand and you’re ready to go.

So you are ready to go to sleep – now what? Well first you need to set the clock on the Wake-Up Light along with the alarm and light settings. The Wake-Up device is controlled by 3 scroll buttons and a switch on the side of the device. Press the Set button in and you can scroll through the various options to set the time, alarm, light preference, and sound to wake up to. You can choose to be woken up by 4 natural wake-up sounds like wind chimes, birds chirping, soft drums, and percussion instruments. There is also an FM Radio built in so that you can choose to wake up to a favorite station.  Next, you can set the light intensity from 1 to 20. So not only does it make a nice light to wake up to but also a desk lamp too.

I first tried out the Wake-up lamp at a time when NYC was going through a period of  many sunny days that basked my apartment in light. The Wake-Up light did its job and woke me up to birds chirping accompanied by the soft light that emanates from it. However the sun-drenched bedroom seemed to over power it. It really made no difference in my mood at all – nor did I feel extra stimulated or relaxed from it.  I tried again the next day increasing the light intensity but the sun still overpowered it and made no difference in anyway to my mood.

So I decided I would just wait till we had some gloomy days and low and behold we  did which resulted in dark cloudy rainy mornings and no sunlight to speak of. This is when the Wake-up light proved its worth. Its soft light awoke me in the morning and was a welcome contrast to the gloominess outside my window. This time I chose wind chimes to wake me up. As the gloomy days past, I certainly appreciated something to brighten my mornings when I woke up.

Conclusion:
Some may just think the Philips Wake-Up light is just a glorified lamp. But its soft light plus the combination of 4 natural sounds make all the difference. However,  I am disappointed that you have to spend an additional $30 dollars to get the Wake-Up light with an iPod dock, after all, it doesn’t take much to add a 3.5mm jack these days to devices. But for those whose bedrooms face a brick wall or suffer from lack of natural lighting in their room, they will appreciate the soft light waking them in the morning, its small footprint, pleasing minimalist design, as well as the natural soothing sounds that it plays. Unfortunately, for those who have rooms that get decent sunlight then this probably won’t do much to enhance your life, but it will work as a really nice looking bedside lamp/FM Radio/Sound machine. The Philips Wake-Up light retails for $134.99 at Amazon.

The Good: For those who lack natural sunlight in their bedrooms this will certainly help you get your day started, 4 natural sound settings and sleek design.

The Bad: Won’t really make an emotional impact on someone who has lots of sunlight in their bedroom, lack of 3.5MM jack for external sound sources, FM Radio signal lacks signal strength on some channels (when tested in NYC).

In the Box:
Packing was pretty standard, with a lot of plastic and little bits of tape to keep everything protected. There is our CD with the software, some sample paper, power cord and a set of four ink cartridges. The printer itself has a sleek look and a sturdy feel to all the parts. The paper trays were solid and opened and closed nicely. Unwrapping went quick and I was anxious to get printing. So I placed the printer on a desk across the room form my computer and started the setup process.

 

Setup:
Epson included a very nice, detailed (yet easy to follow) setup guide. I am always tempted to bypass the printed instructions and just wing it, but I’m glad I didn’t. There are a couple important details that our easy to miss without the guide. For instance, when installing the ink cartridges, they seem to click right into place, but you need to exert just a bit more pressure in order to hear the proper ‘click’ which tells you they are in all the way. Once they are in the printer needs a few minutes to ‘prime’ the system. A note on the ink. Some complain that the cartridges are too expensive and it’s easier to just have one instead of four (or more). However, we see this is an economical system. It’s true that they are a bit pricey when you buy them all at once. But you don’t often use all the colors equally. Many times on an HP I could see that one color was low, but I had to toss the whole thing and buy a new one. I very much prefer Epson’s method of single color ink cartridges.

Now let’s move on to the software install.

Software:
Installation is pretty straightforward, though when it said it may take a few minutes, they weren’t kidding. I waited about 10 minutes for it to finish. Then I continued with the bonus software install. I usually don’t use such programs, as I generally prefer to use Corel or Photoshop to make cards, calendars, etc. However, for those who want the simplicity of a few click to create a greeting card or calendar, the bundled software seemed quite nice.

Installation on the Mac was quite a bit faster and just as painless. It was interesting that the ‘test page’ (that was printed to confirm the install) was a completely different style than the one produced from the PC machine. A little Mac favoritism maybe.

Function:

All that aside, let’s get to the printing. The NX515 produces very nice photo prints. Compared to our HP, they were crisper, looking more like a photograph rather than a ‘print’ of a photograph. A nice feature is the quick drying ink. There is nothing worse than picking up a newly printed photo and smudging the ink with your finger. Not with this printer! The ink is dry to the touch as it exits. This is important with border-less photo printing, since there are no lil’ white edges to hold.

They also claimed that you could splash water on these prints and the ink wouldn’t run. So I tried it. Amazing! And I used the matte paper for the test. You can see in the photos that I did more than ‘splash’ water; I put it under the faucet. Then immediately touched it and drug my finger across the page…no damage. It is important, should your print get water on it, to ‘blot’ it dry rather than wipe. The fibers in the towel do scratch. But the point is, this ink is high quality. Very nice.

Printing from the PC/Mac is straightforward. Epson has a nice set of drivers with a good amount of options. There is feature to ‘auto fix’ your photos. For those of you who don’t want to mess with photo editing software, you’ll like this. The ‘auto fix’ corrects/balances the colors/contrast in your image giving a bit more vibrancy. The ‘red eye’ fix also worked surprisingly well (See a sample in the image gallery).

One of the features of this printer is the ability to print directly from your camera’s memory card. On the lower-left front of the printer are your slots. Simply insert the card and select ‘memory card’ on the keypad. You are then given the option to view your images one at a time, watch a slideshow (though I can’t imagine why) or even print out a contact sheet. After selecting which images, how many, etc. You then let the Epson scan it and print you images automatically. I had never used this feature before, but it’s actually kinda fun and it worked fine.

The scanner worked great. Again, Epson provides good software with a variety of options for scanning. Print speed was phenomenal. I pitted the NX515 against a HP 4200 in a race to print a 6 page email. I started the HP first, then about 10 seconds later the Epson. The NX515 finished 2 full pages ahead of the HP! And this in spite of the fact that I had to reload the paper on the Epson twice! Crazy fast for an inkjet. The print quality was sharp and the way it handled the email header/footer was better than HP as well. The color of the text was a bit richer from the HP, but I didn’t take time to fiddle with settings either, just standard printing. But despite that, the Epson was a hands done winner.
There were two problems we ran into.

First, a couple of photos printed ‘washed out’ when printed directly from the memory card. But when those same images were printed from via the PC, they printed fine. I tried this several times and with several images, but the same ones consistently came out ‘washed out.’ (See images) For all intents and purposes the image files were identical to the others. I contacted Epson about this and they have not been able to give a reason.

Second, when using the Matte Presentation paper, we could print only 2 or 3 pages before it jammed. Or rather, it was unable to pull the next page in. It gave the error on the screen that it was ‘out of paper’ even though it wasn’t. Many printers have this problem, but I would have hoped it wouldn’t be present on this printer. Not good if you can’t count on consistent output like this.

Conclusion:
The Epson NX515 is a solid machine, living up to its promise of speed and quality. Setup is easy and straightforward, though a bit lengthy. I’d like to see room for more paper, you’ll need to reload frequently, but that is the same with many printers. Aside from the memory card problem, everything works as expected or better. At $149 (now just $99 at Amazon) the NX515 is a good deal for a great all-in-one printer.

The Good: Great quality photo printing, very fast everyday printing, painless wireless network installation on PC or a Mac, affordable price tag.

The Bad: Lengthy Software installation, faulty matte paper loading, and an odd bug with printing images from the memory card reader.

Darkest of Days is a first person shooter game and a very good one in fact. The game starts off with you fighting in the battle of Little Big Horn. After you are saved from being killed in battle, you start your training and go through the game tutorial, pretty short and solid. It gives you a run down on the different weapons you use. You even get to fire some Civil War era artillery which is fun and different.

 

The graphics are pretty detailed, especially since you are traveling through time, the game keeps the design of the cloths and weaponry  very accurate to the time as well. The weapons, methods of traveling, and even the music, are correct for the time period. There is a part where you hear guys singing and playing music around the camp fire very Southern-like, which is appropriate for the civil war. Even the the terrain that you are fighting in is very realistic when you go from war to war. The civil war land is less developed and you are fighting in a more rugged wooded area compared to when you are in Europe during WW2 in a POW camp. Even in Pompei 79 AD, the game gave a great impression of what the Roman city would have been like. The movement of all the characters are all very fluid as you are ducking and running.

During each battle you have to avoid killing anyone with a blue aura. These are people that are meant to survive the battle. Your options are really to shoot them in the leg or arm so they are taken out of battle or you can use your chasers which are a weapon from the future that disables the enemy without killing them. If you kill 3 people that you are supposed to save, an opposition from the future tries to come and kill you. This is difficult, and you do not want to face them. You can kill them and take their weapons but it is not easy.

The weapons are true to the era so you are not able to bring back and forth weapons from the future to fight in a battle – DAMN! I would have loved have taken a musket to a German.  During Civil War Battles you have a musket which you can reload by packing the bullet and gun powder down the barrel. This is also time consuming so it is not like other shooter games where you can go running around with guns blazing. Once you travel to WW1 you see the weapons and clothes change which makes it easier to engage your enemies. Semi- automatic weapons become available as well as grenades during this time period.

However, in the case where an opposition from the future comes to track you down you are able to use their future weapons against them. They are hard to kill and get the weapons because they have future armor and technology that a musket or M1 can not compete with. With all the weapons whether it is a classic revolver from the wild west or a musket from the Civil War, the aiming and positioning in a FPS is always essential and in this game its very good. You get to zoom in on your targets in order to get that good headshot or when you need to pop someone while they are riding their horse.

Conclusion:

Darkest of days not only takes you through one war but many wars at different periods in time. For a FPS shooter it really immerses you in the game with your surroundings and lets you experience what it was like to be a soldier during these times, with a twist of course. The only downside is this game is a little hard and the graphics are bit dated. I lowered the difficultly level to easy and found that it is still challenging. So it isn’t ideal for the impatient or a newer gamer. Others may have an issue with some historical mistakes during the wars or the fact that what you do, really has no effect in the long run or change any historical outcome. I personally don’t take any game that seriously regardless of its content. But if you are up for a challenge and enjoy first person shooter games, you are in luck with Darkest Days as long as you don’t take it too seriously. Darkest of Days for Xbox 360 retails for 41.99 at Amazon.

The Good: An ambitious game that tries to give you a history lesson but still exhibit the guts and glory of a FPS war game.

The Bad: Its difficulty could scare away casual gamers or those new to the genre. Those who are history buffs may be turned off by the historical inaccuracies in the game.

MusicSkins

I have been a big fan of GelaSkin for sometime and I even tweeted not so long ago that I was already on to my 4th laptop, yet I was still using the same GelaSkin. So would the MusicSkin hold up to that type of challenge? Would it be just as good quality? I had used similar skins prior to GelaSkins and wasn’t all that impressed. I was either disappointed by the quality, long term durability, or just the selection of designs. MusicSkins offers up music artist centric designs but also Fashion, Art, Obama, Models, Charity, and Media designs. Music designs are broken up by genre and give consumers the full spectrum of whatever music taste they may have. Pop, Rap, Reggae, and Rock all there plus a few more.

So don’t laugh, but I chose Madonna. Yes she is still the queen to me – so there. In any case I was curious to see if the materials and quality would pop like the GelaSkin did. Upon opening it up, I felt right away that it was a smidge lighter than a GelaSkin skin. However, the adhesive smell from both were the same and the actual adhesive part on the underside of the skins looked similar too. I removed the GelaSkin from my Apple MacBook Pro 15″ – which was quite tough and what has always been a sticking point for me with a GelaSkin skin. I always think I’m going to break my screen off. But alas I got it off. Cleaned up the cover of the laptop and placed the MusicSkin on to replace the previous one. It went on like a dream – only a few bubbles here and there, which were easily smoothed out.  Madonna now graces my MacBook Pro.

I attempted to remove the MusicSkin and unlike the GelaSkin, it was much easier and I wasn’t afraid that I would break my laptop in the process. I re-applied it and it went back on just the same as it did before. Extremely painless. I was also impressed with the image quality of the skin as well. Being that ultimately it is a reproduction from a photo, it still looked very good and the image popped off my MacBook Pro.

Conclusion
MusicSkins may be just another competitor for GelaSkin but atleast it is a quality product that can actually go head to head with them. They may not concentrate on the artsy type designs but for those who just want to slap a picture of lil Wayne on your devices – they got you covered. You can also make your own custom design too. I like the fact that they basically will skin just about any current device out on the market and the skin itself is an excellent quality. However only time will tell if its durable enough to make it to my 8th laptop. MusicSkins range from $15 to $30 depending on the device you are looking to skin.

The Good: Good quality material. Can easily be removed and put back on without ripping or fearing you will break your laptop. Good selection of artists for those who love their music. Can create a custom skin.

The Bad: If you are into more art focused skins, you may have to look elsewhere as the selection available is a little slim.

Set-up:
The keyboard is compatible with Windows 7 and Mac right out of the box. The included manual even shows you how to set the device up with both a Mac and a PC. There is no software included and we were able to connect to an iMac instantly without issues.

Design:
The first thing that you notice about the Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 when you look at it is how thin it is. It measures just under a half an inch thick, it’s 13.9″ wide and 6.54″ high. You can easily throw it in to a bag, and this is the first keyboard we have ever been able to say that about without it being tiny. As a matter of fact, because it is so thin and lightweight you really won’t mind carrying it back and forth to the office every day. We’ve already had many Ooohs and Ahhs reactions from co-workers when they took a look at the 6000. Lets just say that it’s not everyday that people notice a keyboard at all, let alone make oohing sounds.

 

Wireless range:
The Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 operates on Bluetooth. This is ideal since that means it’s a totally wireless solution, and you don’t need a USB receiver. MacBook Air users or anyone with limited USB ports will of course appreciate that.
We were able to operate the keyboard from nearly 40 feet away from a connected computer. That means that the Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 can also work as a great Media Center PC keyboard as well as the perfect keyboard for presentations.

Number Pad:
The keyboard comes with a separate number pad. This is an ideal situation for those who will be traveling with the keyboard, but if the number pad were to be on the keyboard that would add significant width to the keyboard thus making it a lot less portable. By including a separate number pad, you’re basically getting the best of both worlds. A carrying case is even included for you to tote the number pad in, which is a nice touch. However, we wish that there had been a case included for the keyboard itself too since this is a keyboard that you are likely to be traveling a lot with. We rarely use the number pad nowadays, but we know plenty of Excel users and gamers whom still value having a number pad. The number pad will also be available to purchase separately.

Ergonomics:
The keyboard is very comfortable to type on and has great tactile feedback. It feels much like a traditional notebook’s keyboard with low profile keys. Of course, keyboard comfort levels can vary differently from person to person, but we think that it’s safe to say that most people will enjoy using this keyboard. The  Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 also features a comfort curve design that “encourages natural wrist posture”. Afters years of working all day long at the computer, we’re very sensitive to keyboards and mice with ergonomics, so the fact that they were able to throw in some ergonomics in to a mobile keyboard is appreciated.
The only area where the keyboard’s ergonomics fall short is that it doesn’t have any legs to give the keyboard a tilt. This means that you end up typing with your hands lying very flat and that just isn’t ideal. The keyboard is slightly raised higher in the front because of its battery cover, but it’s not enough to make a significant difference. We’re sure that they left out a stand in order to keep the keyboard as thin as possible, but we would have been willing to sacrifice some of the thinness in order to have a stronger tilting angle.

Battery:
The keyboard runs on 3 AAA batteries, which are included. The alphanumeric keyboard runs on 2 batteries, while the number pad runs on 1. There is also a battery status indicator located on the top right of the keyboard. The battery life is supposed to last up to 10 months on a set of batteries, and the on/off switch lets you conserve battery power.

Conclusion:
We’re thrilled with the Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000. It looks great, manages to fit in our bag without being a headache, and it is super comfortable to type on. If you’ve been looking for the ideal keyboard to complement your laptop or netbook, look no further. The Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000 retails for $89.99 and comes with a 3-Year Limited Warranty. The keyboard goes on sale in October.

The Good:
Ultra thin and lightweight for easy traveling, good tactile feedback, great for presentations, separate number pad is included.

The Bad:
No keyboard legs, carrying case only included for the number pad.

 

Set-up:

The Buffalo MiniStation Metro is compatible with both Mac and PC out of the box. The hard drive comes with a bunch of software for you to install when you attach it to your computer. This is a nice change from having to run a CD for software and this is a trend that is becoming more common with portable hard drives.

Upon attaching the MiniStation to the Mac  running the Snow Leopard OS, it picked it up right away. Unfortunately, the only software included on the drive that is Mac compatible, is the option to enable Turbo USB which makes data transfers speedier. To enable this feature all you have to do is install it and then restart the computer.

After setting up the MiniStation Metro on a Mac, it was time to see if it was just as simple to work with on the Windows side. With a resounding yes – it was. The drive is compatible with the Windows 7’s latest release candidate, as well as Windows XP. We were up and running in no time. The Drive Navigator software popped up just the same as it did when I selected it on the Mac computer. This time however there were a lot more software options.

Performance:

Testing in Windows, HDTach reported that the drive could read files at an average of 19mb per second which is pretty much on average with similar USB 2.0 bus powered portable hard drives. However, once we installed Buffalo’s Turbo USB,  HDTach reported read speeds to be an average of 44.3mb per second! That is a 133% increase and way above average for other USB 2.0 hard drives in its class! Unfortunately we were not able to test write speeds in HDTach without having to format the drive and its partition, which would mean losing all of the included software. But we imagine that write speeds are not too far off. Transferring a 1.15gb file on to the drive took 1:40 seconds with Turbo USB installed. Before Turbo USB was installed, the same file took a 2:38 to write on to the drive. With Turbo USB enabled, file transfer times were significantly cut down in half.

The MiniStation Metro also played back 720×480 videos seamlessly when played directly off of the hard drive. Notably, the drive is also completely silent when spinning. The only thing that indicates that it’s working is the busy light which is purple in color.

Software:

 

First and foremost is the Encryption software which lets you encrypt your drive so that if you have confidential files that you don’t want preying eyes to see. Just enter a password of your choosing and the drive is locked and only unlockable with the code. However, the software warns you that If you want to take advantage of this encryption feature you will not be able to use the drive as a standalone simple drive or with a Mac. This is kind of a bummer personally since we use both Mac and PCs on a daily basis, and we imagine that many other people also do.

The other software included for the Windows side is Picasa, an already free Photo organization app that is easily downloadable for Mac too. Eco Manager is also included which monitors the power of the drive so that its doesn’t waste unnecessary power, saving you money in the end and probably extending the lifespan of your drive. Lastly, Memeo Autosync is also included which lets you backup and sync two selected files or folders and constantly sync to the hard drive. This software only comes with a 30 day trial period, which is annoying. Quite surprisingly, there was no back up software included. So Windows users who want to use the hard drive for backup purposes, will be left to their own resources. Fortunately for Mac users, the drive is Time Machine compatible. The one software program that both Mac and PC shared was the Turbo USB which is a nice inclusion since it certainly makes the file transfers peppier.

Conclusion:

Overall I wasn’t at all disappointed with the hardware side of the Buffalo MiniStation Metro. It is a smartly designed hard drive that is well constructed and pretty slick. I was however disappointed that all of the software included with it didn’t work for both Mac and PC, and I was also disappointed by the fact that one of the software applications included was trialware. It also seems off that that Backup software is left out. That said, the MiniStation Metro is really about being a portable hard drive that you can carry in your bag to transfer files back and forth between computers, more so than a backup hard drive. But putting the software issues aside – installation of the MiniStation was a breeze and it does run nice and quietly and its fast performance (with Turbo USB installed) make it ideal for those high-level executives who will use that encryption software and need to sneak out quickly without being detected with their MiniStation safely tucked away.

The MiniStation Metro Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive comes in capacities from 250GB to 500GB and the colors Black, Red, and White. We’re especially fond of the red version which we reviewed – the color pops, and we also appreciated that the integrated USB cable and extra included USB extender cable even match it. Fortunately, the Buffalo MiniStation Metro is also very competitively priced, it retails upwards from $82.06 for the 250GB version, $89 for the 300GB version, and $110.98 for the 500GB version.

The Good: Great lighweight and portable design with three colors to choose from (white, red, black), included encryption software adds level of security, integrated Flex Connect USB cable so you don’t have to worry about bringing along a cable, both Mac and PC compatible, Turbo USB makes drive extra peppy

The Bad: No backup software included, don’t like that trialware is included, encryption mode not supported with Mac

Design:
Once again it comes down to the details and the Turbine Pro is all about the details.  The Turbine Pro headphones are shaped like the original Turbines that resemble that of a Monster Component cable. However the Pros are much more lightweight this time around and the metal housing is available in either gold or copper plated. The base of the In-ear speakers are made of a rugged heavy duty rubberized plastic to withstand heavy use. The 3.5mm Turbine In-ear speaker jack is also gold plated to achieve optimum contact between your device and the earphones. There is also cord management on the Pro cabling so that they won’t get tangled or look messy as you walk around town. The Turbine Pro comes with 5 advanced sound Isolating eartips, each one aimed to fit every ear size (which I had a problem with on the Turbines) as well as deliver superior noise isolation from external sources. If you look at the part of the eartip that goes on the In-ear speaker, you will notice a silicon looking insulation inside of the tip. That right there is the secret recipe that Monster will not divulge, except to say its made out of “special materials.”  The case that comes with the earphones is also blinged out with gold etching and a suede like material.

 

Sound:
So you plunk down $249.95 on a pair of ‘In-ear speakers’ was it worth it? You bet! Where the Turbines lacked – the Turbine Pro makes up ten-fold. Where noise isolation was lacking before, its made up with the new and improved advanced Turbine Pro eartips. I have small ear canals and I was able make them fit and snuggle my ear with ease. I wasn’t able to hear a peep around me. The In-ear speakers felt light in my ears now compared to the original Turbines and also I didn’t need to wrap the cord around the top portion of my ear so that they didn’t fall out while walking. They just stayed put without altering the sound of the music that flowed through them.

Flow is what the music did, with the new and improved drivers it only delivered new and improved sound that was rich and clear with a rich deep bass that enhanced the sound delivery of the various different music selections I used to test the earphones with. Be it Yanni ( don’t laugh), Fleetwood Mac, or Black Eyed Peas – each genre exhibited full body, clarity, and detail in each track. You could easily hear the extreme highs with Stevie Nicks’s tambourine as it shakes  along with the low end detail of Mick Fleetwood at the drums.

The full body of Yanni’s music which utilizes a full blown orchestra along with drums, violins, and pianos were all brought to life. Again the Low end detail was apparent as well as the high midrange.

When you listen to the Black Eyed Peas music you know with a song like Boom Boom Pow they are looking to attract those Audiophiles who appreciate the fact that they put so much dynamic range and low bass. They are taking their electronica to the limit and want to see if you catch their ‘Boom Boom Pow’.

Conclusion:
The Monster Turbine High Performance In-Ear Speakers are not for those looking for a replacement to their cheap white earbuds. No these are for serious music lovers who take the time to listen and cultivate their music tastes and have trained ears to appreciate the impact of music.  Each one of the tracks I  tested  by listening to it in 128kbps, 192kbps, and 320kpbs. I also made sure to utilize not only the new and improved eartips but I also tested it with foam tips and plain eartips from the original Turbines. Each tip gave a different impression on the sound but never took away from it. My favorite choices for tips for the Turbine Pro is the included improved ones or the foam tips. Both hug your ear canal and let you drown out the world and envelope yourself in the music.

Some people will just use the Turbine Pro to listen to 128kbps but that would be a real shame. As much as they are excellent earphones, you won’t bring the music to life as you would by listening to it with a higher bitrate – you are just doing yourself a disservice. If you are going to spend the money, then use some of the storage in your iPod or Mp3 player and give that music room to breathe.  You’ll be glad you did. The Monster Turbine PRO High Performance In-Ear Speakers will retail for $299.95, though they are currently on pre-order from Amazon for $249. If you plan on using the headphones with an iPhone or iPod, a $329.95 version will be available that comes with with Monster’s ControlTalk headphone cable which offers music playback control as well as the ability to make hands-free calls.

The Good: Excellent sound quality, comfortable to wear, captures all the details be it high or low of your music in various kbps.

The Bad: A bit pricey for today’s economy but true Audiophiles will be in for a treat if they are willing to lay out the cash.

Disclaimer: We didn’t get to test the ControlTalk feature as our review sample did not have it.  This post will be updated if we receive it.

For many computer users, however, backing up their computer is a difficult and intimidating task. So they don’t do it and hope for the best. The HP Portable SimpleSave hard drive is HP’s answer to this issue. It is intended to make the entire backup process simple, painless, and almost hands-free. Essentially it is trying to be Apple’s Time Machine for PC users (note: it is NOT usable on a Mac). The SimpleSave does a pretty good job of being a handsfree backup solution, though it does have a couple shortcomings.

Really, backing up your hard drive with the SimpleSave couldn’t be much easier. It’s as simple as plugging in the hard drive, starting the HP Launcher software, and letting it run. You only click once to accept the user agreement and it does the rest. Restoring your files is just as easy, and you can choose to restore individual folders, or your entire computer. We especially liked how it could back up multiple computers and the files were stored uncompressed on the hard drive so you can easily go through them and grab certain things you need quickly.

However, the software does not do a carbon copy of your hard drive. It only backs up certain file extensions. The list of extensions is… extensive and this is usually no problem. The software backs up almost every extension an average computer user could want, over 330 out of box.  Common files like music, photos, documents, and emails will all be saved automatically and easily. However if you work with a more specialized or uncommon kind of file type, then there is a chance it won’t automatically recognize the file type and not back it up. You can go into the options and add that file type, however, it is not at first obvious that one would even need to do that. In addition there are file names and folder tree length restrictions, so if you have some files deeply nested in your hard drive they may not be picked up either. Since the software works by saving only certain file types and folders, it can’t be used to restore an entire system.

 

The drive itself is sleek, piano black, and minimalist. It requires only the included USB cable to run and power it. With a single blue light and an HP logo, the design is as simple as the software, and its tiny footprint makes it easy to transport. The drive can also be used as a drag and drop drive if you desire.

The entire Simple Save backup process is designed to run in the background or while your computer is idle. It’s not particularly fast- If you have a 60-80 gigabyte hard drive, expect the backup process to take at least 2-3 hours to run the first time. This is normal with any backup software though the first time. Afterwards backups are much more speedy. However that is not a big deal since performance isn’t really an issue with a hard drive intended for back up purposes.

Conclusion

The HP SimpleSave Hard Drive is great for the average consumer in need of a no-brainer back-up solution. For the average user it does its job very well of making the backup process quick and pain free. For the more advanced user there are perhaps some limitations that could cause issues. Although in reality a more advanced user likely knows how to back their entire computer up anyway and won’t require the automated software that comes on the hard drive.

If you or a loved one is operating a computer and not backing it up, give them the gift of a HP SimpleSave Hard Drive and let them sleep a little easier at night. The HP SimpleSave 320 GB retails for $74.99 and the HP SimpleSave 500 GB retails for $102.99 at Amazon.

The Good: Automatic, easy to use, and everything an average computer user could want.
The Bad: Advance back up isn’t as easy as it could be. No Mac client

When the game first opens there is no Paul in a car driving and Ringo on the top of it screaming at the top of his lungs while beating the drums like previous versions of the game (with different characters obviously), no it’s the most beautiful video trailer to a game I have seen in a very long time. You are introduced to the Beatles though their meager beginnings performing in Liverpool to Beatlemania to the trippy late 60’s which eventually lead to the end at Abbey Road. You see the band pass by older and younger versions of themselves along with screaming fans chasing after them. The finale of the intro is the most beautifully high on LSD visual experience to watch without being physically high. Elephants, penguins, and other whimsical characters dancing and walking along as the Beatles look down upon it. Welcome to Beatles Rock Band.

 

I didn’t get a chance to review the game with the special addition Beatles Rickenbacker 325 and Gretsch Duo Jet guitars, but honestly you don’t need them, unless you want to really complete the time warp. This version of Rock Band is different just from pushing the Start button. You are introduced to fluid menu screens with rich graphics that would give Guitar Hero a run for its money. No visual detail was spared. You can enjoy a Quickplay or Story Mode. I opted for Story Mode. Once you get started it asks you to calibrate your instruments and TV because some may experience a delay if not calibrated correctly. Once you get passed that, you are taken to a loading screen of the Cavern club where it all began. Fans screaming – the Beatles looking as innocent as ever. I was hoping for some black leather duds, but no just clean-cut suits. You start out with 4 songs: Twist and Shout, Boys, Do You Want to Know a Secret, and I Saw Her Standing There. The one thing you will notice in these earlier years of the Beatles is just like their songs – the notes are simple to play as well. The notes are bigger too – thank god! No eye strain here. The Beatles also like their chord notes. Not too much time passes by without having to hold down on average two buttons at a time and then quickly switching to press down another  chord combo.

The Beatles themselves look like caricatures of themselves but done in a respectful way. Paul still has that baby face look, Ringo is well Ringo, George looks the most realistic, and then John. Yes, John, my most favorite Beatle and lead singer and guitarist on the majority of the Beatles catalog, and yet I didn’t feel like I saw enough of him. No – who did I see more? George! Yes George – he gets an extreme amount of screen time that he didn’t get in real life and I wonder if that’s because his son Dhani modeled for his likeness in the game. Even Paul and his big cheeks didn’t get as much upfront camera time as George. I Love George too, but in my opinion it was a little too much. All the Beatles sing their respective songs and harmonize when necessary. If you are a true Beatle fan you will appreciate the fine details of the imagery used when certain songs play as they borrow directly from various Beatles movies like Yellow Submarine and Magical Mystery Tour.

There are 45 songs to play through and depending on how well you do – 5 stars will unlock pictures and awards to other goodies buried in the game. Once you are finished up at the Cavern Club you have hit it big time and on your way to Ed Sullivan, Shea Staduim, Budokan, Abbey Road (three sets are played here), Rooftop Concert and then finally an Encore. The song list is extensive but personally my fave years are at Abbey Road during there high as a kites days. The guitar riffs become much more enjoyable to play and the keys are broken up and not incessant chord combos repeating. You almost don’t want to play so that  you can soak in the beautifully done video sequences as the song is played. As a matter of fact, it becomes especially distracting on certain songs like “I’m the Walrus” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” but I guess that is the point. You can’t really fail while playing this game since there is a “No Fail Mode,” But even so you just don’t want to. You sing along and tap your feet and for a few hours you are a Beatle.

Of course the crux of the game is the three part harmony which playing as a group is probably harder than playing all the instruments together as a whole. You don’t realize till then, how John’s voice and even George’s chained so frequently as the years have gone on and some of those notes are just impossible to hit without enduring a sore throat. But we tried as we might and even if it made my dog and rabbits cover their ears as we hit the notes hard, and did we hit them hard.

Conclusion:

You will not be disappointed with Rock Band Beatles, in fact you will be encouraged to keep on playing even after you beat all 45 songs in a day. With more content to come and features that can only be unlocked if you get a crew together to play it, because you need the massive points, it will only encourage your friends and family to Come Together. The Beatles: Rock Band retails for $59.99. If you want the Beatlesesque instruments I suggest just getting  The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition which retails for $249.99 which is basically all you will need to become a full fledged Beatle.

The Good: Excellent graphics, re-mastered songs, never before seen unlocked goodies and you get to be a Beatle for several hours – What more could you want?

The Bad: Less George, more John. The background imagery can actually be a bit distracting during some songs.

Philips

In the Box:
The packaging is actually pretty smart as it offers a perforated area on the packaging to simply take the device out of it without cutting your hands or breaking a pair of scissors. The GoGear Vibe comes with a USB adapter, matching black ear buds, a booklet, and software for easy installation.

Design:
The GoGear Vibe’s black glossy design itself is slick and easy on the eye.  Its body is small with curved edges so the ease of portability is there, but unfortunately the quality of the operational buttons are a bit stiff. You can also hear a bit of clicking noise when you press on the buttons. However for this price point, I guess you can’t complain too much since it is a MP3/Video player after all. Overall, the GoGear Vibe is a very portable device, fitting into the palm of my hand, it is great for running or using at the gym. I used it every morning for 1 hour in the gym and it lasted 7 days without having to recharge. The battery life is rated at 25 hours for audio and 4 hours for video.

Setup:

As soon as I plugged in the device it automatically was picked up in Windows Media player. This was great since I do use Windows Media Player already. I was able to make a playlist simply by clicking and dragging. The GoGear Vibe automatically took all the artists in my library and separated them by artist and then followed by album on the device.

 

Interface:
Like I said earlier, you can drop and drag songs to the device in seconds. The GoGear Vibe has your typical menu features where you can control the sound quality via equalizer settings, and of course see titles of the songs that are currently playing. The GoGear Vibe fits as much track information and album art as it can on its 1.5 inch size screen without looking too crowded. Overall, its interface is clean and simple. Playback options are shuffle mode or standard playback. There is no scroll wheel or snazzy touch features, but the crosspad if you will, is very easy to use. The ‘Play’’ button and a ‘Back’ button are simple to understand and operate. There is also a detailed guide  included which tells you how to upload, create playlists etc… should you get lost along the way. But for most people, including those that aren’t too tech savvy – the GoGear Vibe will be a cinch to operate.

Audio Quality:
The audio experience coming from the included earbuds doesn’t do the device justice even though they fit into my ear canal just fine. But when I switched them out, and listened to the GoGear Vibe with my own pair of headphones I was definitely impressed. The music didn’t sound tinny and the GoGear actually does a good job pumping tunes.

Additional Features:

Additionally, the GoGear Vibe comes with a built-in FM radio. And aside from support for MP3 and WMA files, it also supports DRM files and it can work with Rhapsody. Other relatively standard but welcome features include voice recording, and photo viewing.

Video Playback:
Video playback on the GoGear Vibe is more of a bonus novelty than a serious feature. The video clips that play back on the GoGear are low in resolution and quality, so video playback is best suited for the occasional quick clip but not for serious viewing. Obviously if you are looking for a dedicated video device, you wouldn’t go with the Philips GoGear Vibe.

Conclusion:
The GoGear is a great little player for those on a budget. It has got great audio quality – almost as good as my iPod when I switched up the headphones, so for the price alone and its good sound quality it is worth it. It also offers a decent amount of storage for the price. Overall, the Philips GoGear definitely offers more value for the money than the iPod shuffle. The Philips GoGear 4Gb MP3 retails for $49.99.

The Good: Priced well for a 4GB MP3 player that also supports video files. Great starter MP3 player or player for the gym

The Bad: Navigation buttons are stiff to operate. Video playback is low quality.

The Coat bags bring a new way to travel with your hard drives without the worry of them smashing into something and getting damaged. Resembling the bubbles on bubble wrap or even Lego brick bumps, each pattern comes in a different color and size: orange, red, black, and gray. It also supports 2.5 inch drives as well as 3.5 inch drives. When you grow tired of the bubble effect, you can always turn the sleeve inside out and then a suede fabric interior is exposed.

If there is one hard drive that needs a case, it is the LaCie Little Disk, Design by Sam Hecht. While cute and stylish, this hard drive has a knack for collecting fingerprints even if you breathe on it. I only held it in my hand for a second and a minute later I was already buffing it with cloths. This is one hard drive that needs a case desperately. It does come with a drawstring suede-like bag but that won’t really protect it from bumps. The Coat however will, and it’s solid yet cushy material will withstand a few bumps and knocks. It is also light weight so it won’t add an additional weight to the overall junk you are probably schlepping around. There is also a hidden pocket on the inside of the case for lets say an extra USB dongle.  The Coat retails for $11.99 to $15.99.

 

If you are looking for a more rugged, harder shell case then the next best option for your hard drive is the LaCie Cozy. Also designed by Sam Hecht, the LaCie Cozy offers an alternative to a softer case. This hard-shell version provides a tough protective outer layer which is a bit rigid. However its flexible outside pocket is perfect for carrying any additional supplies you may need. Just like the Coat, the Cozy also comes in black, gray, and red and fits 2.5 and 3.5 size drives. If you drop this case you are surely protected since there is an interior strap to hold your hard drive in place and it will withstand just about any impact thrown at it. The LaCie Cozy retails for $14.99 to $19.99.

Between the combination of the LaCie Cozy, Coat and Sam Hecht Little Disk you have a complete collection of portable storage and protection.. Available in capacities of 250, 320 and 500GB, the Little Disk itself features a built-in USB dongle that extends to eliminate the need for carrying around an external wire. With this hard drive, LaCie has definitely captured the need to travel light with no complications.

The Good: Stylish cases with appeal to both men and woman. Provides protection to otherwise delicate hard drives.

The Bad: The need for hard drives cases is not as essential like for cellphones, it may take longer for this type of accessory to catch on.

This 10MP camera doesn’t disappoint. Right out of the box you can start using the camera without ever having to pick up the manual. It’s super simple to use and there is not much room for mistakes. It is also sleek and light at only 3.5oz, but actually, it feels lighter than it is. It is also available in several colors:  black, chocolate, cinnamon, rose, sky blue and olive green. It’s thin enough to slip into your pocket or pocketbook without showing a hug bulge or taking up much room in your bag.

The Casio Exilim EX-S5 excels in not only looks but in picture quality as well, even in Auto mode. However, if you want to get fancy, there is always the Best Shots feature that again like the Casio EX-S12 will automatically set the up the camera for the type of photo you want to take. Portrait, landscape, scenic, etc…all the different types of settings are there. There is also the Makeup function, tracking Auto Focus, and an HD Movie function.

 

Photos are easily taken and viewed on its 2.7 inch TFT color LCD and it has an ISO Sensitivity of up to 1600. The 3X Optical Zoom makes it easy to get close-ups of images further away. The picture quality does degrade a bit when you take a photo at the highest zoom and also focusing becomes an issue but that really is a minuet problem. If you want to take pictures from such a distance than you probably shouldn’t be using a compact digital camera in the first place.  There is of course White Balance for Daylight, Overcast, Shade, Day White Fluorescent, Daylight Fluorescent, Tungsten, Auto, and Manual.

 

Recording movies is extremely easy with the designated Movie button. Just press it and you are ready to go. Video is recorded in HD and can be recorded with an aspect ration of 16:9.  You Tube capture mode lets you record and easily share your video once you are ready to upload it.  We actually did a video review using the movie feature of this very camera and we were very impressed. The video came out very good and the built-in mic picked up our voices even with the sound of the beach and wind rumbling in the background. It was super easy to use and we could zoom in and out easily without affecting the image quality of the video we were shooting.

Overall, the Casio Exilim Ex-S5 does exactly what it’s meant too well. There is no hesitation between shots – The camera takes no time at all from snapping picture after picture especially with its new 4.0 engine which delivers the improved picture quality and high-speed dedicated image processing. This is one camera that I would highly suggest for anyone, although it may be marketed more for the female audience with its many color options and ease-of-use,  but any guy would appreciate it too. The Casio Exilim EX-S5 retails for as little as $125.85 at Amazon.

The Good: Excellent picture quality for the price point. Sleek and light design is perfect for taking pictures anywhere. Good HD video quality.

The Bad: Indoor pictures tend to fair less in quality due to the brightness of the flash even with white balance adjusted or the Best Shots feature enabled.

The controls are OK, some maneuvers need a little bit to get used to. To get around, it is easily all controlled by the D-Pad with a jump action and your right thumb stick to move your view. You can also get around by swinging with a built in hook from your bionic arm, which is rather difficult. First you must aim and make sure the surface is able to be hooked, then you line up and fire your hook, from here you can either pull yourself right to the structure or grapple your way to a roof. You can also use it to swing from a light post to a monorail, the possibilities are limitless but when you have 5 or 6 guys hunting you down and shooting at you, trying to fiddle with this when you only have mere seconds to move can be challenging to say the least.

 

The weapons are pretty good, anything from your classic 9mm to a shot gun, You can only carry 48 rounds at a time on most weapons so if you are a trigger happy shooter type, I would seek out a cheat code for unlimited ammo and weapons. To aim you will see your circle target light up red when you are on target otherwise it will be white. You can zoom in by pressing your right thumb stick in. This would be a great feature for some other shooter games to put into play.

The graphics are decent during the game, similar to looks of the recent Capcom game, Resident Evil. One thing that I did not find to be helpful is in areas of radiation, lighting seemed to be an issue. Areas affected by radiation  are defined by a glowing blue color, these are areas you should not venture into, you will die within a few seconds. However due to the lighting, it is hard to actually tell which is a contaminated area, from above it is much easier to tell, but that does not help you when you are on the move on the ground.To get around there is no map, just your immediate target area is highlighted in the corner of the screen. You need to keep following your relays to stay on path. This was ok, but I still would prefer a full map feature. It is difficult when you are completely lost and cannot figure out how to get around buildings and radiation.

Sometimes classic games shouldn’t be messed with and even though it lacked the fancy schmancy graphics of this latest version. I still enjoyed the retro Bionic Commando much more. For those who are to young to remember the classic version, probably will enjoy this even with the frustrating movements of the bionic arm, those who remember the good ole’ days will probably not appreciate the remake. Bionic Commando retails for $39.79.

Good: As always Capcom doesn’t let us down with awesome graphics and a decent storyline.

Bad: Controls could be frustrating. Bionic arm was more of a pain than it was worth trying to get it to work, before getting killed.

But what about those days when you are surfing the net for hours, playing your favorite app or watching movies on the plane? You never seem to have enough battery. Then you have to worry about finding a place to charge your iPhone… what a hassle! I can’t count how many times I’ve found  myself scrambling for an AC outlet so that I could recharge my iPhone. Wouldn’t it be great if your battery could last longer? That is where Mophie comes to the rescue!

 

There are a number of rechargeable batteries available, but none as sleek as the new Mophie Juice Pack Air.

Here are the specs that it promises for the iPhone 3G S

• Standby Time: Up to 270 hours
• Talk Time: Up to 4.5 hours on 3G | Up to 10 hours on 2G
• Internet Use: Up to 4.5 hours on 3G | Up to 8 hours on Wi-Fi
• Audio Playback: Up to 27 hours
• Video Playback: Up to 9 hours
• Standby Time: Up to 270 hours
• Talk Time: Up to 4.5 hours on 3G | Up to 9 hours on 2G
• Internet Use: Up to 4.5 hours on 3G | Up to 5.4 hours on Wi-Fi
• Audio Playback: Up to 20 hours
• Video Playback: Up to 6 hours

We used the “Mophie Juice Pack Air” with a new iPhone 3G S. Out of the box it looks and feels good, a good complement to the sleekness of the iPhone itself. Like other “shell” cases, it was a tight fit getting it in (or out), but the case is sturdy. And even though it adds some thickness, it still feels good in your hand.

A nice feature is the 4 LEDs on the back that give you an indication of remaining battery life. No guessing how much has been used so far. And also the ability to “turn off” the battery in order save it for later use. As you would expect you can sync while charging without having to remove the iPhone from the case and BOTH the “Mophie” and the iPhone charge simultaneously.

We did have a problem with the charging/syncing at first. When we opened a case with “Mophie” about the problem, they promptly sent out a new cable. Problem solved! Everything then worked as expected. 5 Stars for Mophie Support.

So it’s pretty, but how is the battery life? Here’s what we got out of it:

• 10 AM taken off charge and only working off of iPhone battery. Wi-Fi was inactive the entire time
  • 45 minutes of GPS use
  • 1.5 hours of voice
  • 1 hours of video
  • 30 minutes of music
  • 30 minutes of internet access
  • 30 minutes of email
  • 7 hours of Bluetooth connection (1.5 hours of the voice used above)

3G was always enabled (though not always active)

• Died at 8:25 pm – “Mophie” started charging iPhone
• At 8:29 pm the phone comes back online with the 10% battery warning
• Battery continues to charge (currently not in use)
• By 10:30 pm the iPhone is no longer charging and iPhone shows half a battery bar, while the “Mophie” shows two LEDs on the indicator
• 11:10 pm switched to airplane mode and enabled alarm

The Next Day:

• 7:45 am switch off airplane mode and enabled Bluetooth
  • Battery seems to be at the same point as it was last night, back of “Mophie” shows two
    lights.
  • Minimum of email and internet usage for the rest of the day, at this
    point the iPhone is running off its own battery
• At the end of the day both units are charged up.

Did we get “twice” the amount of battery life? Not quite. It seems that it was at least 150% of normal battery life. There are many variables such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and the 3G transmissions which vary greatly. And it may be that in some situations you could get closer to 200% of normal battery life. Overall though, we were very satisfied.

In conclusion we would definitely use the juice pack when watching movies on a plane and for traveling. But we’re not sure that we’d want the extra bulk (minimal as it is) for everyday use. However, if you are in need of more life out of your iPhone each day, the “Mophie Juice Pack Air” is the ONLY choice as far as we’re concerned. The Mophie Juice Pack Air retails for $80 at Mophie.com and Amazon.

The good: Good look and feel, best option for a rechargeable battery yet!
The bad: Price is a bit steep

The sequel to the original, Boom Blox Bash Party stays true to the feel and spirit of the game. The innovative gameplay will fascinate newcomers while massive amount of new puzzles and game types will expand the horizons for experienced players. There are many different modes of play and puzzles. From single player to competitive play to cooperative play, over 400 levels of blocky goodness will keep you coming back for more.

 

We loved the little block animals as well. I’m particularly fond of the panda and the tiger. It’s quite fun to watch them quiver in fear as you prepare to launch them through the nearby block building. Don’t worry, no animals were harmed in the making of this game, they always just get up and dust themselves off and continue on as happily as before with a little dance and hop.

The game itself isn’t all that is involved, you can pick it up and put it down whenever you like. It is about as casual as games get these days, which is refreshing when you want to spend a few minutes indulging your inner childish destructive side. The controls are simple to learn, though they can be finicky at times with the Wii remote. Overall, we really have no criticisms for Boom Blox Bash Party, and lots and lots of praise.

If you haven’t picked this game up, then you are missing out on a seriously enjoyable experience for you, your family, and your friends. I dare say, Boom Blox Bash Party is what the Wii remote was made for. You really have to give it a good throw to make it work, not just a flick of the wrist that other games offer. I’m a little embarrassed to say it, but my arm was sore the next day! However that didn’t stop me from playing it more.

The good: Endless puzzles, fun characters, good variety of challenges
The bad: Made my arm sore.

The interior of the LAbesac LIME DROP is indeed a neon yellowish green color, which makes it easy to spot any loose items in your bag. There are several compartments inside the bag. The laptop compartment was able to hold my 15″ MacBook Pro even though it is suggested that the max size it will hold is a 13.3″ MacBook. Once the laptop is in its compartment, a velcro strap holds it in place.  Other compartments will hold letter or legal size papers or notebooks as well as pens or cards. There is even a plastic see-thru area to slip in an ID card in case the bag gets lost.

 

The exterior of the bag is quite tough and durable and without anything inside is quite light. Another nice touch is everything is protected from the weather outside since the bag is closed with zippers. So all your stuff stays nice and dry and protected from any sticky fingers since it stays zipped tight. There are are also zippered compartments on the front of the bag as well as the back.

There is plenty to like about the LAbesace LIME DROP bag. It has got a nice style and is durable and secure enough to protect your laptop and other gadgets from the the outside world. It can definitely be a unisex bag for the more sporty woman, but otherwise even with the ‘lime’ interior, it’s still a more on the masculine side for a laptop bag. The Be.ez LAbesace LIME DROP retails for $69.99 at Amazon.

The Good: A quality bag that zips up everything nice and tight. Nice amount of compartments. Looks like it will survive air plane travel.

The Bad: May not be the best style for women, and for those who want to take a chance on it be wary – your arm is going to kill after a while once you load it full of stuff.