“Tech” collection
Stay informed on the rapidly evolving world of consumer electronics, high-performance hardware, and digital innovation. This central tech hub provides a deep dive into the physical components and software ecosystems that power your modern life.
HTD Tech Briefs
View all →September 3, 2010
Vacations, Teddy Bears, Breathalyzers and Pictographs – “Back From Vacation” Cast of Dads Podcast #30
We took a week or so off to enjoy time with our families and get ready for the start of the school year. But once we all got back on the phone this week, we definitely had a LOT to talk about in our latest Cast of Dads podcast #30, "Back From Vacation". Note: we are always looking for sponsors!…
Read more →August 31, 2010
The Portable HD Video Recorder Smackdown (PART 2): Sony Bloggie vs Kodak Zi8
Last year around this time, I posted a head-to-head review between the Flip Ultra HD and the Kodak Zi8. Little did I know that it would become such a popular video on YouTube (it currently has over 94,000 views!). So, given that success and because of several comments to me on that video, I have decided to do another head-to-head…
Read more →August 30, 2010
The BACtrack S75 Pro Pocket Breathalyzer – Don’t Leave Home Without One!
About a month ago, I did something pretty dumb. I had too much to drink at a neighbors house and on the way (WALKING) home at 2am, I tripped and fell in my driveway, landing on my forehead, which resulted in 18 stitches and a wonderful scar that I will use to for "crazy drinking" stories and kid lectures for…
Read more →August 25, 2010
Develop Locally & Publish into the Cloud with Microsoft WebMatrix & GoGrid Cloud Computing
DISCLOSURE: I work at a Cloud Computing Infrastructure Service Provider (GoGrid) where I get to evaluate and talk about various solutions coming from our company as well as from our partners. I normally don't cross-post articles, unless I feel that they are relevant and can provide a service to multiple audiences. Over the past few weeks, I have been evaluating…
Read more →August 24, 2010
DropCam is the Ultimate, Easy To Set Up, Security Webcam, Digital Baby Sitter & NannyCam
I have played around with a couple of IP-based Wireless Webcams (from Linksys and Panasonic), and while I'm pretty good usually at figuring out how to configure and work devices, IP webcam configurations are still a bit too complicated for the general public, in my opinion. For the most part, they are difficult to set up and harder to stream…
Read more →August 20, 2010
Belkin’s Bluetooth Music Receiver is the Ultimate Music Extender from your Bluetooth Device to Your Stereo
On the way home from picking up my daughter from an activity, I decided to do some Pandora streaming in my car via a Bluetooth connection. As the Pandora station was playing a lot of great songs, when I got home, I wanted to continue hearing the song selection that was playing, so I was thinking of the best way…
Read more →August 17, 2010
Create Your Own Personal Cloud Storage with Seagate’s GoFlex Drives & GoFlex Net
I have always been a proponent of the Cloud and various consumer services that utilize Cloud Computing. In fact, I work as the Technology Evangelist for GoGrid, a company that provides Infrastructure in the Cloud, essentially a way to get your own personal datacenter in minutes. As I write this article (which will go on my blog on a Cloud…
Read more →August 13, 2010
How To Get Your iPhone Out of a Recovery or Restore Mode Loop
I recently got my iPhone 4 and consequently wanted to prepare my iPhone 3GS for my children to use as an "iPod Touch" – iPhone but without the cell service. I have already done this with my original iPhone. Honestly, it is a great way to extend the life of your "retired" iPhones. As I was going through the prep…
Read more →August 2, 2010
“Where’s the Pause Button” – TweetDeck’s User Stream Preview is Real-time Web
I was lucky to be one of the first 5000 people to get access to test out a new version of TweetDeck called "User Stream Preview." In this preview build is the ability to use Twitter's new Streaming API which essentially turns the Twitter firehose on full blast. In the past, you were at the mercy of Twitter's API limits,…
Read more →July 27, 2010
Wrapping Up the AT&T “Lose the Laptop” Challenge – A Retrospective
We are now in the final days of voting for the AT&T Lose the Laptop Challenge. It has been an interesting four months writing about different topics and how they relate to the HTC Tilt 2 smart phone. You can see all of my articles on the Lose the Laptop site here. But I thought that it might be a…
Read more →July 26, 2010
The Mobile Spy – “Ending It All” (The Finale & Part 4)
Catch up on Part 1 of “The Mobile Spy” here, Part 2 here and Part 3 here (on AT&T's Lose the Laptop site) or Part 1 here, Part 2 here and Part 3 here (on HighTechDad.com). He slept most of the way. He hadn't realized how running on adrenaline had made him so incredibly tired. He only woke a few…
Read more →July 26, 2010
How To Install a Replacement Battery into an Apple iPhone 3GS
My iPhone 3GS has been showing signs of a dying battery for a month or so now. The symptoms included the battery depleting faster than normal, charging very quickly (because there wasn't much to "charge"), and the iPhone simply crashing when the battery was at 75-90% FULL. It would simply crash as I was doing some tasks, not even showing…
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