“Consumer Electronics” collection
Find comprehensive evaluations of a wide range of electronic devices designed to enhance your home, office, and personal life. From advanced display technology to environmental monitoring tools, these reviews focus on accessible, high-quality technology for everyday use.
HTD Tech Briefs
View all →February 23, 2010
How Can Such a Small Speaker Boom so HUGE? Reviewing the iLive IT319B 3.1 Speaker
When I first hooked up the iLive IT319B 3.1 Channel Home Music System, plugged in my iPod and turned up the volume a bit, I was literally floored at how LOUD it was! Event at 1/3 volume (does it go up to 11?) it was shaking the room with thunderous bass and crisp and clean highs. Turning it up a…
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February 22, 2010
Cell Phones, Tweens, Texting & Conversations – Child & Family Cellular Safety Thoughts
If you are a parent of a tween (a pre-teenager), you have probably hit the stage of your child wanting a cell phone. My wife and I broke down (or were gradually worn down) about a year ago with our oldest and she got hers when she was about 10. She wasn't (and still isn't) allowed to take it to…
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February 19, 2010
The Neat Company Gets Your Receipt Pile Under Control & Digitally Organized – MacWorld Expo Interview
I must admit, I am WAY behind on writing about The Neat Company, NeatCo, for short. I received some of their products last year to do an "extended" review of sorts. The idea was that I would integrate their NeatDesk (Mac & PC) and NeatReceipts (Mac & PC) products into my lifestyle. Unfortunately, I think I was a bit overly…
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February 18, 2010
HyperMac Dazzles with Vibrant Colored Battery Assortment to Charge iPods, iPhones, iPads & other Devices
A few months ago, I did a review of a HyperMac battery for charging and powering MacBooks, MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros. I found it to be an extremely useful device to give you an extra hour or so of "away from the plug" time. So, I figured that I would drop by the HyperMac booth at the MacWorld Expo…
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February 17, 2010
Charge Your Gadgets Even When the Power is Out with the Scosche solBAT II Solar Charger
I spent a few hours at the MacWorld Expo 2010 and I saw a lot of innovative and cool products. But many of those devices were really only the "nice to have" kind. However, one device in particular stood out in my mind as something that every household should have: the Scosche solBAT II which is a solar powered backup…
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February 12, 2010
Hands-on Video: Parrot’s AR.drone – iPhone Controlled Quadrocopter Compliments their Vision
MacWorld Expo 2010 kicked off yesterday but even before the Expo exhibit hall opened, I was having fun with a gadget that got a lot of hype at CES 2010 - the Parrot AR.drone, an iPhone-controlled, Augmented Reality "quadrocopter". While not actually a part of MacWorld, the Parrot team was just down the street from the Expo giving hands-on previews…
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February 10, 2010
Has Apple Peaked? Their Ego Sure Hasn’t!
As I prep for covering MacWorld Expo 2010, I decided to take a step back and truly think about Apple a bit more. It wasn't that many years ago that people were saying their doom was inevitable. Back then, their products were less than stellar and splintered and people figured that they were on their last legs. However, through that…
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February 5, 2010
How To Upgrade an iMac G5’s Hard Drive – iFixit.com to the Rescue!
A few weeks ago, my daughter's (hand-me-down) 20" iMac G5 started acting up. It was showing the infamous "spinning beachball", was locking up, the fan was running a lot and loud and the machine was having kernel panics. I did a quick S.M.A.R.T. scan on it which is usually a good indication of the health (or lack there of) of…
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January 27, 2010
The Apple iPad – Why It Might NOT be a Winner … Yet!
So earlier today, I fully drank from Apple's vat of Kool-Aid. I wrote about Apple's new iPad and how I think that it will be a game-changer. I still think that it has definitely drawn the line in the sand for the competition to go after, but when you report on any ground-breaking technology, you need to look at it…
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January 27, 2010
Apple’s New iPad Announced and My Thoughts – Is It A Winner?
The weeks of waiting and speculation are now over. Today, Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, unveiled a new device for Apple called the "iPad." Building upon the success of the iPhone/iPod Touch OS and the elegance of the MacBook Pro lines but with the portability of the MacBook Air, Apple reaffirmed its innovative stance within the technology arena. I followed the…
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January 19, 2010
Cast of Dads: Podcast #6 – “Truckers (and others) Love Technology!”
On Episode #6 of the Cast of Dads podcast titled "Truckers Love Technology," we spent much of the podcast answering a question sent in by a daddy trucker ("Jokerman" by his handle). Jokerman had some questions about technology specifically from a driver's perspective. When I think about it, I simply could not live with my daily dose of various podcasts,…
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January 18, 2010
Reviewing the Nokia N900 – a Smartphone with Lots of Potential
For the past several weeks, I have been doing some on and off testing of the Nokia N900, a smart phone running on Nokia's proprietary operating system, the Maemo 5. I personally have never been a Nokia follower and as I think back, the only Nokia device that I have owned was an old PacBell PCS cellphone from many years…
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