Product Reviews, Tech Trends, and More

The Samsung Focus is a Windows-powered smartphone running on AT&T’s 3G network. It uses Samsung’s popular combo of their 1GHz processor and 4-inch Super AMOLED display to provide a lightening fast speeds matched by equally impressive graphics. On paper, the phone is well equipped by today’s standards. It comes packed with 8GB of memory, which is expandable via microSD card, captures video in 720p HD, and features built in turn-by-turn navigation. There’s a lot to like about the Focus, but does it make sense to go with Windows Phone OS over the competition? Read on to find out.

What you are about to read is a real time review of the HD555 Open-Aire Professional Headphones with Sound Channeling from Sennheiser. I’m writing this in real time, because I thought it would be more entertaining. I mean, when it comes to headphones, its such a objective review from the get go, why not make it more fun. So here we go.

8:21PM – Just poured myself a Guinness… –> read more

There is a Starbucks within walking distance of my apartment. It’s a beautiful thing, for a number of reasons. This morning, after waiting in line for a minute or so, a friendly barista greeted me with a smile, said good morning and asked if I wanted my usual beverage (Venti iced, black). He quickly poured my coffee as another cashier rang me out. They both said “thanks,” and I was on my way. Now that, is customer service. It’s one of the things I have come to expect from (most) Starbucks and I am sure it is a high priority on their barista training checklist. It’s one of the reasons I shell out $3.50 for a cup of coffee and keep coming back for more. –> read more

I’ve recently been given the opportunity to review one of Drobo’s latest creations: the Drobo FS. The FS, which stands for file sharing, is a 5-bay NAS that plugs into your local network via gigabit ethernet. In plain english, you plug the Drobo FS into your wireless router and all the computers in your home (or small office) instantly have access to a huge hard drive. From a technical standpoint, there is a lot more to it than that, but the beauty of this device is you don’t _need_ to know what is going on behind the scenes in order to reap the benefits. –> read more

The other day I sank into the driver’s seat of my two-door, shoved the key into the ignition, and brought the machine to life. I quickly powered on my head unit – that’s audio enthusiast speak for car stereo – and began toggling through the sources. Like most fossil fuel burning Americans, I had a few options –> read more

Antennagate, death grip, faulty proximity sensors, black labs, and free cases – boy this is an iPhone release for the history books. Last month I wrote my initial thoughts on the infamous iPhone 4. It has been nearly a month and I wanted to do a follow-up post and share my experience with the phone the world cannot stop talking about. –> read more

I finally had the chance to install Seagate’s new Momentus XT hybrid hard drive, and let me tell you, this thing is cool. What is a hybrid hard drive you ask? Well, it is basically a 7200 RPM hard drive topped off with 4GB of solid state memory. Seagate says the memory is “intelligent,” meaning it knows to store the data you frequently access for enhanced read/write times. So how does this little guy perform in a MacBook Pro? Quite well. –> read more

I know. It has been a while. The schedule has been packed to the brim and now even more so with my recent move into a full-time gig at Nasuni. So what better a topic to get back into the swing of things than to talk about my last few days with the latest and greatest from my favorite fruit company, the iPhone 4. –> read more

Last week, Elgato announced a new TV tuner/DVR solution for the Mac. It is called the EyeTV HD and pulls 720P HD cable content right from your set-top box. The device was born out of the need to get television shows and movies out of the living room and on to the multitude of devices people are using to get their daily fix. –> read more

Back when I first started using eBay in 2001, it was a close-knit community of like-minded, and respectful auctioneers. Everyone was looking for a good deal on a used video game or a hard to find artifact of generations past. I had much luck as both a buyer and a seller, lining my pockets with a few extra dollars here and there by hawking my old cameras, iPods, and laptops. –> read more