Hardware Reviews

Quick Take Review: UAG Monarch Series Price: $59.99 Review and Features There are case makers, and then there is Urban Armor Gear, or UAG. UAG makes outstanding products that look cool and provide all the protection required for most device use cases. We evaluated the UAG Monarch series on an …

Quick Take Review: Native Union Drop Wireless Charger Product: Native Union Drop Wireless Charger Price: $59.99 Native Union has a great design team. Their Drop Wireless Charger combines a non-slip silicon treaded pad with an aircraft grade aluminum housing to produce a very attractive charger.  Native Union didn’t stop with …

Quick Take Review: MyCharge Unplugged 10K Product: MyCharge Unplugged 10K Price: $69.99 Most people carry an extra battery pack these days, at least on long trips where electrical outlets might prove hard to come by. The majority of battery packs are pretty simple. They charge via a micro-USB port and …

Review: Polk Command Bar. Alexa with Attitude It used to be, when a house started talking to you, it was time for a chat with the local priest or vicar about some spiritual cleansing. But now everywhere I turn, my home speaks to me through Alexa and an Amazon Echo …

Serious Insights Device Case Buyer’s Guide Overview How people use their cases varies widely.  People need device cases that work when traveling, running to the market, attending a concert, climbing a mountain, bicycling, taking pictures, listening to music, watching video or attending a gala fundraiser. That broad range of applications …

Review and Interview: Mission Workshop Radian travel pack The Radian $585 Mission Workshop When I saw the press release pictures of the new Mission Workshop Radian travel pack I had to see it in-person. Mission designed the Radian with sleek and urban lines but claimed a ruggedness ready for treks …

Review: SanDisk iXpand™ Flash Drive I evaluated the SanDisk iXpand™ Flash Drive several years ago. I found the original SanDisk iXpand a useful device, especially for travel. SanDisk recently sent me an eval unit of the new version. The smaller device doesn’t require a charge before use, but it still …

Review: Edifier W360BT Bluetooth Neckband Headphone The world has moved to the world of the wireless earbuds with the popularity of the Apple AirPods and other products like the Jabra Elite sport. Wireless earbuds, however, suffer from several issues: easily loss if not cared for, they don’t always stay in …

Review: Stark Technologies Retina and Focus VR headsets Stark Technologies offers a range of VR headsets in the “sophisticated Google cardboard” category. I have recently received the Retina VR Headset and the Focus VR Headset from Stark to review. As an overview, here is an overview video from Stark that …

Review: Denon AH-C820 Headphones A few years ago Polk sent me a pair of Nue Voe earbuds for review (see Headphones Roundup: Polk Nue Voe, Phiaton MS 100 BA, and TunePhonik iZX5at iPhoneLife). They included memory foam ear inserts for improved noise isolation. They became my earbuds of choice for …