“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 →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 →
October 12, 2009
Music of the World Packed into a Small Device – the MYINE Ira Internet Radio
A few months ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing the Livio Radio which streams Internet music but also has the built-in functionality of Pandora. I was sad to see it go at the end of the review, but I was lucky to get my hands on another music streaming device (this time sans-Pandora) called the Ira Wi-Fi Internet Radio,…
Read more →
October 6, 2009
Beyond the “100 Faces of Fall” with the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-TX1 & A330 DSLR Cameras
So I'm now pretty deep into this Sony "DigiDads" program (see the Sony Electronics Community site for more details). My kids are already used to watching the big BRAVIA in my oldest daughter's room, I have been using the HD Camcorder for a few of my recent product reviews as well as filming some of my middle daughter's gymnastics meets,…
Read more →
September 30, 2009
The Portable HD Video Recorder Smackdown: Flip UltraHD vs Kodak Zi8
I came across a realization a few weeks ago. When doing a product review, it helps to supplement the writing with video. The problem was, I didn’t have a good way to capture high-quality video with any of the older devices I have. I had tried with a built-in iSight as well as an external one, an older Sony camcorder…
Read more →
September 28, 2009
The AT&T HomeManager Consolidates your Family’s Telephony & Internet Information in one Device
There is a niche out there between the techno-savvy and technophobes. It's a market where the members see the value in technology and gadgets but might not adopt it quickly or readily. They may have a computer or laptop but only use it periodically to pay bills, check news or weather or do email. If they have kids, their kids…
Read more →
September 22, 2009
I Got My iPhone “Branded” using Coveroo!
Last week I had a blast at TechCrunch 50, an annual conference where 50 technology companies are launched, presented, judged and potentially take home a huge pot of gold if they are selected as winners by the judges. My company, GoGrid, a Cloud hosting provider, had a booth there and I spent two full days there staffing the booth, talking…
Read more →
September 18, 2009
How To Make iPhoto or Picasa Recognize your Camera Again
Recently, I tried to download some photos from a small, older and somewhat, war-scarred point & shoot digital cameral (HP Photosmart M632) which I carry around in my backpack wherever I go. I had taken some photos and video at a tradeshow and wanted to work on a blog post for it. Unfortunately, when I plugged in my camera, absolutely…
Read more →
September 16, 2009
Storytelling in the Digital Age
Every family has a story teller. It's the person who can captivate an audience as they lead them down a path of words, memories and emotions. We do have to admit, some people are much better at doing this than others. I, for one, have an absolutely horrible memory. The only stories I tell are ones that I really know…
Read more →
September 10, 2009
Cut the Cords to your iPhone with Altec Lansing’s BackBeat 903 Bluetooth Stereo Headset
I must say, I had been waiting for the iPhone to support A2DP for a while. When it finally rolled out, I was excited but I didn't have a set of headphones with which to test it. I just hadn't made the plunge to buy a set. The promise of having stereo audio from my iPhone, all via a Bluetooth…
Read more →
September 8, 2009
How to Set Up an Inexpensive Outdoor Home Theater
Everybody has some sort of a main viewing room or area of the house where there is a larger TV and comfortable seating where families and friends gather to watch movies, TV shows or play video games. The big screen TV has become a digital fireplace of sorts or a congregation point in the house. With hectic schedules governing our…
Read more →September 2, 2009
IOGEAR KVM via USB: Troubles At First, Great in the End
About half a year ago, a PR firm sent me out what I thought would be a very good device to have in my tool chest. This was a device designed to facilitate connecting, viewing and sharing data and desktops between Windows PC all via a USB connection. The device, the IOGEAR "USB Laptop KVM Switch with File Transfer," (Product…
Read more →August 28, 2009
Fix Its: Merge Two BlackBerry Calendars into One & AT&T’s Visual Voicemail Activation for the Bold
AT&T pushed out new firmware and a desktop application update for the BlackBerry Bold this week, supposedly with a new Visual Voicemail (similar to the iPhone). But somewhere in the process of the upgrade, I found that a second calendar was activated which wasn't syncing to Microsoft Outlook. The fix that I detail below allows you to merge multiple BlackBerry…
Read more →
