“Gadgets” collection
Explore a curated selection of personal technology and innovative gadgets designed to improve daily productivity and entertainment. This collection features detailed evaluations of portable electronics, charging solutions, and versatile tools that provide genuine real-world utility.
HTD Tech Briefs
View all →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…
Read more →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…
Read more →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…
Read more →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…
Read more →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…
Read more →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,…
Read more →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…
Read more →January 13, 2010
TODAY Is National AMBER Alert Awareness Day – Jan 13, 2010
Today is officially the AMBER Alert Awareness Day (January 13, 2010) as declared by the US Department of Justice in commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the abduction and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman. Many of you are probably aware of AMBER alerts as they now appear not only on highway signs, on TV, via email notifications but also more…
Read more →January 13, 2010
Cast of Dads: Podcast #5 – “Guys Love Gadgets”
This episode of the "Cast of Dads" podcast was something near and dear to my heart…GADGETS! With CES 2010 having just finished, we decided that the theme for the podcast would be gadgets and technology. Jeff Sass provided some great insight having just gotten back from CES (I covered the show remotely) but we all weighed in with differing opinions…
Read more →January 11, 2010
How to Remove an Old Microwave & Install a New Panasonic Microwave (Model: NN-SD277WR)
Most people don't think of a microwave as a gadget, but I guess if it plugs in, has buttons and a display, it excites me a bit. But before I go in a major analysis of popcorn pop timing (or burning), I wanted rewind back. Here's the story. I had a microwave that was on its last legs, the outer…
Read more →January 8, 2010
CES Coverage Remote #3: More Gadget Thoughts & News from the Day
My coverage of CES 2010 (remotely) is starting to run out of steam. I can only imagine what the people covering it there are feeling. I must say, that c|net has done the best in terms of presenting their coverage in my opinion. I have been watching BOL (Buzz Out Loud Live@CES 2010) as well as regularly reading the "CES…
Read more →January 7, 2010
CES Coverage Remote #2: Press Day Thoughts & Day 2 News [Update #1]
[Updated: 01.07.10 @1:05 pm Pacific] While it is obviously not the same as being at the International Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2010, I was able to watch quite a few of the press events over the web (probably with a better seat than most of the people attending the events in person). Also, the flood of press releases continues in…
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