If you have been following fashion trends, then you’ll know that just as in years past, metallics are once again coming back strong this fall. I’m not sure what it is about changing seasons and the muted colors we women tend to adapt as the weather grows colder, but a subtle flash of metallic color can do much to jazz up an otherwise conservative outfit. With this in mind, Proporta has just released their new Maya Case Gold, a fashion forward slipcase done in metallic gold leather with black embroidery; this should catch the eye of all fashion magpies without blinding anyone with too much bling.

Continue Reading

This iPhone and iPod car charger not only powers up your Apple music player but it also transmits the audio to the FM radio so you can listen to it without headphones (always a good idea when driving). The frequency range is 87.9 to 107.9 - press and hold the scan button and the closest open frequency is selected. Compatible with iPhone 3G, iPhone, iPod Touch, Nano 3G and 2G, iPod Mini (not compatible with iPod Classic (6G) or iPod Video (5G) ).

FM Transmitter for iPhone / iPod Auto Scan - $27.99

[This is a joint review between  Dan and Doug.  Dan's comments are in normal font and Doug's are in bold italics.]

I’m liking a whole lot about the iPhone 3G I picked up the other day. It feels good in my hand and, even though it is a bit thicker, the curved sides make it feel smaller and lighter. I am liking the 3g speed a lot more than I expected. While home and work have WiFi, the 3G speeds make a much bigger difference than I expected when I am out and about. I’m pleasantly surprised how common 3G is in my area and those  speeds make a far bigger difference than I expected when using my iPhone for browsing or updating RSS feeds. I am especially liking the increased cellular signal strength. On my Gen1 iPhone I was lucky to get one bar when I am home, while my iPhone 3G gets 2-3 everywhere. Because of the increased signal I can even live with the cheap, easily scratched, plastic back. (Thank goodness for Invisible Shields!)
I don’t have the iPhone, but I do have the iPod Touch.  And since many of the applications for the iTouch involve Cloud computing or utilizing data stored online, I find myself frequently connected to the Internet via Wifi.

Thanks to the new firmware, my iPhone 3G is pretty stable. I’m finding myself having very few crashes and far fewer lockups then I did when I was using my Gen1 iPhone with the 2.0 firmware. Yup, I like almost everything about my new iPhone. “Almost” but not “everything”… The battery life is horrible. I need to be able to rely on phone to work when I need it and the battery life… well the battery life scares me. It is lousy. It is weak. Horrific. A shanda. It makes me want to throw the phone out the window.

The battery on the iTouch is not nearly that bad.  Since I do not have to contend with a phone or 3G signals, I have found that I get some pretty good use from a single charge.  Still, using Wifi for everything from checking email to syncing my RSS feeds, weather, todo lists and more, can also be trouble for a battery.

Continue Reading

Well - this is only a one cent solution for those of you working near a computer (or something with a USB powered port). USBFEVER has the iPod/iPhone compatible cable on sale for .01. Quanities are limited to one per order. If you are only ordering a cable, the next shipment date is August 1. Both black and white colored cables are available. I’ve already purchased one of these and plan on carrying it with me to client offices (where computer with USB ports are plentiful) for the times when my iPhone 3G needs a re-charge mid-day. Plug the cable into any USB port and you’ve got a handy iPhone/iPod charger — without the need to carry a fat wall charger.

USBFever - iPod/iPhone USB - Doc Sync and Charging Cable

My girlfriend and I eat a lot of spinach. [ed. note-this is my official entry into the 2008 "Most Unexpected Opening Sentence in a Tech Review" competition.]

We joined a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, last year and receive a bushel of whatever is fresh off the farm every week from spring until fall. A side effect of this is the fact that until the succulent peppers and tomatoes start to ripen in July we often find ourselves buried under mountains of greens-chard, kale, collards, spinach and the like. We’ve learned to blanch them, sautée them, bake them and eat them raw in salads.

It also means that my girlfriend spends a lot of time checking her teeth for hangers. For years, we had a secret routine where she would turn to me and say with a big smile, “How’s your grandmother?” The correct answer is always, of course, “Deceased.” But the question is actually a cue for me to check her teeth and respond either “fine” or “she’s having a little trouble” and point to the corresponding part of my own grillwork where there might be an offending stray bit of greenery. An aside-When you’re pointing to your own face to let someone else know that they have a sesame seed in their teeth or maybe a stray bit of nacho cheese in the corner of their mustache, do you point to the same side or the mirror image? Just curious.

Anyhoo, it looks like technology has put me out of another job. Because my girlfriend doesn’t need to inquire about the health of my dead relatives anymore. I’ve been replaced by The Echo Mirrored Screen Protector.

Continue Reading