Review: gpik™ super thumb stylus

Posted by: ssschmidt on Jul 05 2008 - 115 views

 

Touch screen devices.  Wonderful things.  But the search for the perfect input method is long and frustrating.

Styluses are great, but the ones that come in most devices are very small and difficult to use for a long period.

Pens with stylus tips are better for lengthy use, but carrying one for just the stylus adds to your pocket.  Or the pen is rather large.

Then there’s the finger.  Many software input alternatives are available, but they all result in a screen with fingerprints.

Here’s a new product from Gordon Adkins: the gpik™.  Read on for more.

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Do You Really Want To Touch Me?? Otterbox Offers Ultimate Protection For Your iPod Touch

Posted by: danc on Jul 05 2008 - 190 views

I was given an iPod Touch a few weeks ago and although I have an iPhone, I decided to keep it. I’m more than a little surprised by how much I am using and enjoying the Touch.

Sure, since it is basically an iPhone without the telephony or Edge connectivity one could argue that it is just a “stripped down” iPhone”, but there is something about it…

I love the fact that it is thinner and lighter than my iPhone and has double the capacity. I especially love how thin and light it is. At about half the thickness of the iPhone, the iPod Touch is an absolute pleasure to hold and use. It has become increasingly clear to me that it is, for all intents and purposes, the first mainstream successful MID (mobile internet device) on the market.

Because it is thinner and lighter than my iPhone it also feels even more delicate. The back scratches like "nobody’s business", and because it feels as slippery as a wet snake it can easily find its way from the hand to the floor. 

Clearly protecting a device as thin and expensive, not to mention delicate, as this is important. I put an InvisibleShield on my Touch immediately but “immediate” wasn’t quite immediate enough- it was already a bit scratched. While the InvisibleShield took care of preventing future scratches it didn’t do anything to prevent serious damage from “droppage”. Unfortunately I learned that the hard way too. I have never dropped my iPhone but within hours of getting the Touch it had a slight “mishap” with the floor.

I quickly learned my lesson. I would prefer to not use a case on the Touch but it spends most of its time in an Agent18 EcoShield.

While the InvisibleShield/EcoShield combination does a decent job protecting the device, there are times when I need even more protection. For example, I will be spending time this summer on a lake up in the mountains. If I drop the touch while out with my golden I want/need better drop protection than the EcoShield offers. And when I am sitting on the dock reading I want/need some degree of protection from the water. For while I love the lake water, my Touch doesn’t. I have no intention of tossing it into the lake but I have already learned the hard way that anything can happen.

Thank goodness OtterBox offers two excellent choices when it comes to keeping my iPod Touch truly safe. The OtterBox Defender Series for iPhone Touch gives tremendous protection. The OtterBox Armor Series for iPod Touch give OUTRAGEOUS protection.

Let’s take a quick look at both.

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QuickLook - Plantronics Discovery 925 BT Headset

Posted by: Brandon Steili on Jul 03 2008 - 460 views

Here we are … another fine day at JAMM, and today seems like a pretty good day to take a look at what has quickly become my favorite Bluetooth headsets. I’m not going to make this a long review, because frankly I don’t think it needs it. Why? Because its a Bluetooth headset. Most of the key talking points around these devices have been covered over and over again … things like do I really need one, will I look like a Star Trek geek, are people going to think I’m taking to myself, and of course topics like should there be a law requiring these things.

So in the interest of not tossing out an entire holiday weekend (and missing a beautiful day outside/Happy 4th) I’m going to keep this one short and to the point, again because the talking points have been covered, but more importantly I personally think once you’ve tried the Discovery 925 - you’re either going to absolutely love it, or you’re going to just feel sort of "meh" about the whole thing. You can go ahead and put me in that first category. So lets get started.

 

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Review: Etymotic ety8 Bluetooth Stereo Earphones

Posted by: danc on Jun 28 2008 - 286 views

For the sake of full disclosure let me begin this review by noting that I am a huge fan of Etymotic’s headsets. I purchased the E6i headphones shortly after getting my iPhone last August and really liked them. When the opportunity to review some of Etymotic’s other products came up I was more than happy to do so and I have been consistently impressed by their products. I am so much a fan of Etymotic’s products that I use a pair of ER 6is or hF2s daily, and the etyBLU is my iPhone headset choice whenever I drive.

So how did the ety8s stack up? Read on to find out.

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Quick Review: Beyza Cases’ “Thinvelop” For MacBook Air

Posted by: danc on Jun 23 2008 - 299 views

I’ve always been partial to high quality, leather device cases. They not only protect delicate electronics well, but they protect them beautifully, too. So when Beyza Cases announced their "Thinvelope" Leather Case for the MacBook Air it caught my eye.

I’ve been carrying my MacBook Air with me pretty much everywhere since I first got it a few months ago and the Thinvelope looked like an awfully nice way to carry the super-light MacBook in a super-spiffy way.

Then a month later “gadget goddess” Judie Lipsett over at Gear Diary reviewed it. It was a funny turn of events that led to it, since Judie actually had the Thinvelope BEFORE she had the MacBook Air. But there she was with the MBA and Thinvelope in hand. Did Judie like it? Well, her review of the Beyza case ended with–

What Needs Improvement: Nothing

High praise from my friend who knows gadgets and gadget accessories better than just about anyone else.

Well, thanks to Judie, I’ve had the chance to see and use one of the cases first hand and all I can say is- WOW! It is one beautiful leather case!

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LiveWires: The Road To Custom Fitted Headphones. Part II: The Audiologist and the Ear Impressions

Posted by: dgoldring on Jun 19 2008 - 315 views

Before I could have my custom fitted headphones made by LiveWires, I would first have to provide them with inner ear impressions.  After all, they are not planning to build the headphones directly into my ear.  The ear impressions serve as a mold or road map for the engineers who will eventually build the headphones. 

Obviously, making a perfect ear impression requires the steady hand of a trained professional.  So, at shortly before 10:00 this morning, I found myself relaxing in the waiting room of The Hearing Health Center of Manassas, Inc., home of Licensed Audiologist Mary Jo Grote, PhD., CCC-A and Mark B. Grote, the Hearing Aid Technician with whom I would be meeting.

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