“Review” collection
Discover rigorous, hands-on evaluations and real-world testing of the latest consumer electronics and household tools. These “Dad Approved” assessments provide factual, objective insights into device durability, performance, and value to help you make informed purchasing decisions.
HTD Tech Briefs
View all →December 29, 2009
Announcing the New HighTechDad iPhone Application
A few weeks ago, a friend pointed out a new site to me called MotherApp. They claimed to take the pain and time lag out of creating applications for mobile devices. The MotherApp site lists three different services that they provide: Client Services - where they claim to be able to develop custom applications in as little as 9 weeks…
Read more →
December 23, 2009
Buzz! Quiz World for PS3 Gets Your Brain Buzzing with Trivia
When my wife and I first met, there was a computer game that we played with our friends called "You Don't Know Jack" (YDKJ) which has got to be one of the most fun games I have ever played. Ok, I admit it, I played it a lot more than she did. I spent hours in front of a computer…
Read more →
December 13, 2009
Mini Review: Keep Your Gadgets Charged in your Car with iLuv USB Car Chargers
Since everyone nowadays seems to have a USB powered device like an iPhone or Blackberry or Droid or iPod, being away from an accessible source of power is a big pain in the butt. As many of us spend time in our cars, it’s only natural to have some way to easily charge your devices there. Many new cars already…
Read more →
December 13, 2009
Mini Review: iSkin Cell Phone Cases – Soft Skin Protection AND Antimicrobial!
There are a bazillion cell phone cases on the market (yes that is a real word, bazillion, my spell checker seemed to allow it). Cases are such a subjective type of thing, it is hard to say one is much better than another. What may be great for one person is not for another. I have a bunch of cases…
Read more →
December 13, 2009
Mini Review: Homedics Restore Clean Water System Filters AND Purifies Your Water
When I was approached to review the Homedics Restore Clean Water System, I wasn’t really sure if it would be techy or geeky enough for me to review it. After all, it is just a water filter, right? The only thing that made me want to dig a bit more into it was the fact that it actually has a…
Read more →December 10, 2009
Stocking Stuffer Time! Customized iPhone Cases by iFrogz
If you are looking for a quick "stocking stuffer" for those family members who have iPhones 3G & 3GS's, you might want to take look at the MyFrogz by iFrogz. It's a pretty innovative approach at designing a "custom" case for your loved ones. Sure, there are lots of iPhone cases out there (too many if you ask me!) but…
Read more →November 20, 2009
A Week with the Verizon/Motorola DROID (By an iPhone Addict)
This past week, I decided to find out what the hype was all about regarding the Droid. Launched just a few weeks ago, the Droid has been positioned as a potential iPhone-killer. Being an avid iPhone user (but still someone open to new, better or different devices), I wanted to truly test the Droid out to find out what the…
Read more →
November 16, 2009
A Theater in your Pocket: WowWee’s Cinemin Swivel
I must admit, I have never heard of the WowWee Cinemin Swivel until my step-brother-in-law sent me a Facebook message asking me if I had ever tried it out. I told him that I hadn't but that I would try to get my hands on one for a review and let him know my thoughts. Funny thing is, I actually…
Read more →
November 9, 2009
The Future is Here: Wireless Power Charging with Powermat
When your life is filled with gadgets, much the way mine is, you have a huge trail of power cords that follow those devices. What this means is that you have to consider where to store those cords, which cords go to what and keep track of all of them. I have thought about actually labeling ever power cord that…
Read more →
November 2, 2009
Sounding Out! Sony Xplod MEX-BT5700U versus Parrot RKi8400 In-Dash Bluetooth Car Stereos
For me, the season of giving came early. This summer I was contacted by two PR firms who wanted me to test out some new Bluetooth, phone enabled in-dash car stereo systems. Both requests for review were unsolicited and completely independent of each other. And since they both offered me the units for free including the installation, that was something…
Read more →
October 19, 2009
eBooks, Digital Readers and the Future of Printed Writing
I am honestly not sure that all books should be electronic. I'm a gadget guy but some part of me feels that if we make everything digital that one day someone will accidentally kick out the plug and EVERYTHING will be gone. I do see the convenience and the immediacy that an eBook provides. It's similar to the evolution of…
Read more →
October 15, 2009
A “Wall Plug” To Go – HyperMac External Battery Juices up your MacBooks
Batteries don't last long enough. While the technology is getting better, and they can pack more juice into smaller spaces, unfortunately, for most people like me, this is just still long enough. Macs are no different than PCs. Both run on batteries that use similar technology. Recently, with the MacBook Pro Unibody designs and MacBook Air, while Apple did increase…
Read more →
