Trend: Nike Fuelband

I don't know about you guys, but I for one know and feel when I'm energy depleted, I won't need any band, gauges or dashboard to tell me that.

Trying Too Hard: Samsung Galaxy 3

After years of copying Apple that even Android fans noticed the identical similarities, Sammy tried it's hand on making something new by themselves, which many claimed that it was designed by lawyers rather than real designers, just to avoid being sued in every market around the world. 

To be fair the new Galaxy isn't bad, but it isn't great either, it's exactly as Gizmodo's review described it as.. "Trying Too hard", which turned out to be true after all, it's trying too hard that it's burning.

Kickstarter

With all the "Social" networks showing up everyday on the net, this one is the best yet. Kickstarter allows users to show their ideas/projects and ask people to fund them, with some projects exceeding 1m in funding, in return you get some privileges such as free samples or profits depending on your fund. There are a wide variety of projects going on and most of them are interesting. one instance? Instaprint:


Instaprint is like a combination of Instagrams with Polaroids...Instaprint is a location based photo booth, each box is set with its location or a specific hashtag. Any Instagram tagged with that location or hashtag will pop out of the Instaprint box, giving you a modern day photo booth. Instaprint brings back the uniqueness of those square little photos we all miss. Another notable feature Instaprint brings back is inkless printing! the color for the prints comes from the paper itself. Instaprint is still in "Kickstarter stage", but, by the amount of attention and backing this thing is getting it should be available very soon.

Sony.. Fighting back

It's been a while since ex world's largest consumer company came up with something.. let's say, impressive. Sony SA N5500 HomeShare speaker coming next october and it's already on my wishlist.

BeoSound 5

Just when I started to think sound systems are boring.. BeoSound 5 by Bang & Olufsen ladies and gentlemen.

Evolution: Apple Tree

What an evolution!

Solar Powered Backpack

Backpack+Luxury+SolarPower = Solar Panel Backpack by Ralph Lauren, you can charge your gadgets on the go with this bag but it will take a lot of your time and pocket, what else did you expect?

[Link]

iRobot Scooba

Forced to clean the bathroom by your boss/wife? meet your savior, Scooba 230 by iRobot is going to do all the dirty work.  [Link]

Review: AiAiAi TMA-1

I may not be an audiophile but I always like to try some gear that would change how my favorite songs would sound. I came by these cans which are made by Danish company AiAiAi (pronounced Eye-Eye-Eye), and when I say Danish you should expect extreme yet cool minimal looks, there are chrome no logos, just a rugged matte black headphones, simple as that.

 The TMA-1 was designed by DJs for the DJs, their rugged finish gives them great durability and a nice touch, they are not "I'm the big shot DJ" flashy cool but the professional clean looking cool. they come with a coiled cable for a better movement range for DJs, but you can always change it for a straight short cable for portable use, and yes they can be portable as they are really light weight. also you get 2 pairs of semi-leather and foam earcups, Semi leather is the one you should stick with, not that the foam ones aren't comfortable but it's a sound wise selection. They were also a great fit and sturdy out of the box without any headband adjustments and didn't feel like going to fall off with movement. Packaging is really superb for headphones at this price. 

Sound wise I was really impressed with the first try to be honest, the sound was pretty dark and muddy at first so I played around with the EQs then I turned EQs off and realized, this is how the song should be, and it really sounded better without any EQ, bass is strong yet doesn't cover the mids, you get pretty detailed bass and mids so vocals are clear and crisp while the highs are sweet and don't give you fatigue, the sound is really balanced with no compromise.

All and all, I seriously think you can't get a better deal than the TMA-1 with this price range (200-300$), The cool minimalist and rugged design isn't given justice by any photo, you gotta hold and see them yourself, the verdict? Highly Recommended.

AiAiAi

Vintage Camera Lens

Now you can retrofit your fully featured DSLR with a lens originally made by the famous Carl Zeiss. [Link]

AE+Y

For those of you don't wanna carry around a touch smartphone yet want to carry something special, AE+Y mobile phone designed by California based designer Yves Behar for danish company AEsir. This masterpiece also comes in Gold.

ZIIIRO Gravity

This is the watch of the future, made by ZIIIRO Watches which feature minimalist and futuristic design and available in many colors here.

Jambox

Jambox by Jawbone is a wireless speaker which despite it's small size (12 ounces), can provide a powerful stereo sound. It's perfect for streaming music from your iDevice and it's very portable, I like the idea and the designs, which comes in 4 shapes for each color: Black Diamond, Red Dot, Grey Hex and Blue Wave. They're available on Amazon.

Review: iPad 2

Despite all the iPad frenzy going on right now, I got my hands on it, iPad 2 is the latest masterpiece from Apple and I can tell you it is a masterpiece yes, it's thinner/lighter/dual-core and comes in black and white, but that doesn't mean you need to rush and book a ticket to the US to get one. You probably read the specifications and the new features of the new iPad with all the heavy attention given by the press and blogs nowdays so I'll spare you that and tell you what really matters. 

If you have an iPad or used one, you will know how this thing can reshape the experience of the web and media, as one Apple executive put it "you'll hold the web in your hands", and it does, and now with 2 cameras front and back which both are average to say the least despite the advertised HD capability for the back camera, they are still usable nonetheless for FaceTime and such, for me the biggest drawback wasn't lack of additional ports or the camera quality but the screen resolution and pixel density which is still as the original iPad,  I mean when you provide a dual-core processor for a faster gaming/graphics performance and the same 1024 x 768 IPS display which isn't bad, but it's like using PS3 or Xbox 360 with an OLD CRT TV, you don't get the full potential of the graphics and it isn't even close to the Retina display on the iPhone 4. 

iOS 4.3 is pre installed on the new iPad and as I mentioned above it comes with all new FaceTime and Photobooth. One new feature I like is now I can choose the function of the up right switch as either a rotation lock or quick mute. As for the new Garageband and iMovie I didn't try them yet. but the whole iPad experience is still as smooth and responsive as ever.


With all the tablets coming out everyday, iPad is the only REAL tablet on the market right now, but if you already have the original one I wouldn't recommend this upgrade to be honest, sure there are cameras here and faster dual-core chip but I guess we can all agree what the iPad is really used for, thats web browsing, watching movies and playing games, so your original iPad can still do all this with class. and if your new to tablets or in the market for one, don't look elsewhere.

Kill Clutter

That's the Belkin Conserve Valet.

BlueLounge Cablebox

BlueLounge Cabledrops

RED Epic

For you who doesn't know what this is, RED Epic camera, this thing can capture video at 5K  to 28K (equivalent of 261 megapixels) resolution and at 96fps (Frame per Second), in another word thats better than the naked eye, check this video.

  
                    Test Footage from Red Epic: "Ride of the Valkyries" from Tom Lowe @ Timescapes

Google Nexus S

 I've been using this phone for a while now and believe it or not, Android is somewhat better than iOS (iPhone), there's so much customization, adjusting can be done to Android and alot more stuff I didn't explore yet, I'm really close switch.

iPad 2?

The much hyped iPad 2 was just unveiled today by supposed to be on medical leave Steve Jobs, Now don't get me wrong, the iPad is a revolutionary device and I mean the original one, but this iPad 2 feels like a rushed product to catch on with Motorola Xoom and others. 

Sure it improved a lot from the original iPad by being 33% thinner, lighter, 2 cameras and a faster processor but the display is still the same, meaning you won't get the eye candy from the iPhone 4 display on the iPad 2, yes there are plenty of improvements but this isn't the biggest leap forward in design like from the iPhone 3 to iPhone 4, I think they should have just named it iPad Pro or something close and saved the hype of the "2" mark on the real successor, I don't know about you but in my humble opinion thinner and lighter doesn't always mean better.

Cordless Energy Storage Unit / YILL

 YILL is great way to have your energy needs anywhere anytime, cordless and sufficient, this lovely thing can provide 300 watts of electricity, more than you actually need. 

Samsung Google Nexus S

Gonna try the best of Android yet, let's see if it's worth all the fuss.