Confessions of a Gadget Junkie: Caving to the New iPad

I was an iPad early adopter when it released in early 2010. I bought it the week I was leaving for E3 as something to use for taking notes, writing articles, and playing time waster games in line. There are always lines to sit in at E3, that’s for certain. Despite how much I was afraid I would have buyer’s remorse, that debut week in LA proved that I had made a sound investment. Not only did it do what I needed it to on the E3 showroom floor, but with it, I was able to check in to work and answer any questions that came up from my boss. My husband made fun of me for getting it, but it wasn’t long before he got one too. Even though I am a huge, admitted gadget junkie, I was able to pass up on the iPad 2. As time wore

Read more →

Two thirds of all tablet minutes occur while watching TV

Every time I watch HBO GO or Showtime, they talk about how you can interact with other fans on your tablet during the show. I always wonder, why would I do that? I want to actually watch the show. Turns out they know their audience. According to a study from MultiMedia Mentor and GfK Analysis, among adults 35-49 almost two thirds of their tablet time occur in front of a tv. For adults age 18-34 the percentage is 39%. “Tablets are the new ‘second screen,’ thanks to their size and inherent connectivity,” said Robert DeFelice, Vice President (Media) at GfK Knowledge Networks. “Our research suggests the potential value of ad campaigns and other applications that take advantage of the roles smartphones and tablets play as ‘co-located’ technologies; these might include researching advertised products, texting friends about plot twists, visiting TV program websites, and dozens of similar uses.” When comparing the

Read more →

Astro Gaming headsets are the official PAX East selection this year

At PAX East this weekend in Boston, Astro Gaming headsets will be the official choice of the show. This is the fifth consecutive PAX event to use Astros as the official headset. To get your hands on a pair to try out, head over to the PC Free Play area, where computers will be outfitted with 350 Astro A30 headsets. Of course, if you want to buy a pair, that’s also going to be pretty easy at the show. Over at Booth #1018, you’ll even be able to get a discount. Astro will be premiering their brand-new booth for the 2012 convention season, and there, you’ll also be able to try out A40s, A30s, A*STAR in-ear headsets and also wireless MixAmps. To try out more Astro products, you can visit the following booths:   Perfect World Entertainment (Booth #736) Red 5 Studios (Booth #536) Riot Games (Booth 690)  Sega (Booth #448, 548)  Square Enix (Booth

Read more →

5 geeky reasons to want the new iPad

Apple held their conference this morning and while they announced the new Apple TV (only $99), geeks everywhere were waiting for the details on the new iPad. I know I want one. But then again I waited and did not purchase the first iPad or iPad2. But I yearned for it. iPad envy at every convention or event I went to. Which is why I’m sure I’ll be purchasing one of these as soon as I can (the Apple store is having issues right now). But as a geek, why do you want the new iPad? Well here are a few reasons. 1) Retina display is amazing! The new Retina display is 2048 x 1536 pixels. 99 Games made a blog post that shows the difference in their game apps as to what the Retina display provides. Basically this iPad has more pixels than an HDTV. The dots per inch

Read more →

Blog Her survey finds women trust women for gadgets

The Consumer Electronics Show is winding down today but there are still interesting facts coming out of CES. Blog Her’s Eliza Camahort Page presented a study at CES as part of the MommyTech summit. The survey was conducted by Nielsen and was across a community of 37 million women. Interestingly enough, the survey showed that when it comes to purchasing products, women look out the opinion of other women before purchasing. 84% of Blog Hers and 69% of typical Americans turn to blogs for references before they buy. 56% of BlogHer members turn to social networks for information. In terms of marketing to women, the survey found that “women want to read online reviews by women”. As a group it seems more women are price-conscious over early adapters of technology. A device that women love is something that is all-in-one and combines communication and entertainment. Below is a copy of

Read more →

Samsung improves how you do laundry at CES

I thought I loved doing laundry. But now after the announcement that Samsung made at CES, doing laundry just isn’t going to be the same. Since College I have been frantically looking for quarters in order to clean my clothes. I remember having to go to banks, grocery stores, even knocking on friends’ doors to get quarters. Then you had to compete to even find an open laundry space. Forget doing laundry on Sundays. In my apartment, things did not get better. I still needed quarters (but more now) and it was still a fight for resources. Each load had to be taken outside and down the stairs into the garage. Rain or shine, one load at a time because that’s all I could carry. When we bought my house the first thing I went to check out was the laundry situation. I fell in love. The laundry has it’s

Read more →

Mimoco announces miniature line of devices at CES

Mimoco is the company behind those adorable and stylish USB storage devices. At CES today, Mimoco announced their latest line of USB Flash Drives, Mimomicro. The Mimomicro is a smaller line but also has increased functionality. The USB flash drive has interchangeable microSD memory cards but can also be a reader to transport data between digital devices. The Mimomicro has a flip-out USB plug and a built in keychain with a LED indicator light. It’s only 1.6″H and 1.0″ W which is super tiny. In March, the first two collections will launch featuring designs from Star Wars and DC characters. “As the pioneers in the licensed flash drive marketplace, Mimoco is excited to unveil our first new product line to build upon the success of our popular MIMOBOT platform. MIMOMICRO leverages compatibility with both USB and microSD enabled memory devices and taps into the growing usage of mobile memory solutions,”

Read more →

What to expect at CES 2012

Tuesday CES 2012 kicks off. I used to cover the event for GamingAngels every year, but this year I can’t go. We will have coverage from other editors and we’ll be trying to keep up with the flood of information coming in. We can then ooh and ahh at all the gadget pretties we want. The video below is my predictions for what we’ll see at CES 2012. Let us know what you are interested in hearing about.

Read more →

Barnes & Noble report record Nook sales

Barnes and Noble reported a record holiday season for sales of their Nook products. NOOK sales, including NOOK Simple Touch™, NOOK Color™ and the new NOOK Tablet™, increased 70% over the last year during the holiday. The NOOK tablet fared well in the tablet war. “We see substantial value in what we’ve built with our NOOK business in only two years, and we believe it’s the right time to investigate our options to unlock that value,” said William Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble. “In NOOK, we’ve established one of the world’s best retail platforms for the sale of digital copyright content. We have a large and growing installed base of millions of satisfied customers buying digital content from us, and we have a NOOK business that’s growing rapidly year-over-year and should be approximately $1.5 billion in comparable sales this fiscal year. Between continued projected growth in the

Read more →

Gadget Review: Fitbit Ultra

Recently, I got a new gadget through work, so that I can be a tester for a data gathering platform: the Fitbit Ultra. I am excited about this, because I have been feeling like I don’t get enough exercise lately, and tracking what I do is a sure way for me to get more activity in. I love gadgets! AND, you can go to their website and see charts and other data! I love data! Pros Easy to use. I clip the device to my bra, because it is very stable there, and other than that, I don’t have to do anything with it all day. Lots of data. Of course, I do look at it all day, because you can get a lot of data just on the device itself. With the push of a few buttons, I can see how many steps I’ve taken so far in the

Read more →