Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It’s free!
Latest Gear Live Videos
Energizer Supplies Energi To Go
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, USB, Smartphones,
Our favorite bunny’s parents, Energizer, has just introduced Energi To Go, a battery pack that can plug into most cell phones. With this new product you can recharge your phone’s battery almost instantaneously (except for some PDA and smart-phones,) even if your phone is completely powerless. The ETG comes with an adapter and a pair of Energizer e2 Lithium batteries. At an MSRP of $19.99, it’s available at your favorite department, grocery, or drug store.
Energizer claims that it is compatible with 80% of cell phones now on the market, including Nokia, Samsung, Sprint, and Motorola, as well as mini USB devices developed after 2003 such as BlackBerry, SLVR, and RAZR. Now, if that bunny could just learn to catch a cell phone before it hits the ground.
Read More 
| Energi To Go Product Page via Detroit Free Press
Gallery: Energizer Supplies Energi To Go
Advertisement
NES Controller Alarm Clock
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Design, Smart Home, Video Games,
For those who can’t seem to get enough of the feeling of having a video game controller nearby, waking up to one may be the treat to start the day off right. This alarm clock, shaped like one of those old-school NES and Famicom controllers, wakes you up to the Super Mario Bros theme song. How do you turn it off? Simply button-mash on the A button. If that doesn’t get you up, we aren’t sure what will. Even better, though, is the included mini-game. It goes something like this - hit the A button as fast as you can, trying to beat your previous speed. Do it fast enough, and you unlock a new alarm tone. All this for only $25 USD? Sign us up.
Read More | ThinkGeek
Gallery: NES Controller Alarm Clock
Shure Introduces E500PTH Sound-Isolating Earphones
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, Misc. Tech, Music, Portable Audio / Video,
Shure has finally released their E500PTH sound-isolating earphones. These earphones actually consist of 3 speakers in each ear. Both ergonomically designed and lightweight, the triple Hi-Definition Drivers, one tweeter and two woofers, claim richer highs and lows with sound isolating sleeves that block over 90% of ambient noise.
The included Push-To-Hear control activates a VoicePort microphone that lets you carry on your conversation without removal. Two cables, 9” and 3’, allow the E500PTH to be utilized both at home and beyond. With a price of $499.00, it might be a good idea to test them at your local retailers or try the online demo on Shure’s site. An accessories kit with 1/4” adapter, level attenuator, and carrying case is also available.
These earphones were actually road-tested by professional musicians. What better test could there be than allowing aurally-challenged heavy metal performers to try them?
Read More | Shure E500PTH Product Page
Gallery: Shure Introduces E500PTH Sound-Isolating Earphones
MacMice Launches Black Danger Mouse
Posted by Yuan Zhao Categories: Accessories, USB, PC / Laptop, Peripherals,
MacMice has announced their newest Danger Mouse BLK for preorder and will begin shipping the stylish unit on September 14th, but only in the United States. The USB mouse features a black matte finish to match with Apple’s black MacBook model. Compatible with both Mac OS X and Windows XP equipped systems, the mouse has two buttons and a nondescript scroll wheel. The mouse also uses a 1600dpi resolution laser mechanism for precision and features “MicroScroll™”, the company’s response to Apple’s MightyMouse scroll ball. The company claims that their “scrollwheel delivers the precision of an ultra-small scrolling device, but without the frustrations of a tiny trackball.” It retails for $29.99.
Read More | MacMice
Gallery: MacMice Launches Black Danger Mouse
Making your Cellular Service More Reliable
Posted by Brian Viele Categories: Accessories, Smartphones, Smart Home, Peripherals, Transportation, Wireless / WiFi, Gizmatic,
In today’s world, land line phones are becoming ancient technology. More and more customers are leaving phone line systems for VoIP systems, while others, myself included, operate solely through their cellular service. It never ceases to amaze me, however, that the quality of cellular service at home leaves something to be desired. I have moved three times in the past two years, and haven’t been able to average more than a 2-bar signal in any of my homes. Excessive dropped calls, poor reception and sound quality, and the especially hated voice mail notice from calls that never rang. Sound familiar? Well it may be time to invest in an amplification system to boost cellular signal while around the house.
The setup is simple, intuitive, and available for purchase from several manufacturers. It consists of a pair of antennas, one high gain and one low gain, and an amplification system. The system works best if the large gain antenna is mounted outside of the house, but it is not necessary. The system improves your service by relaying the signals from the high gain antenna, through the amplifier, through a smaller antenna mounted somewhere inside the home and out to your cellphone . Transmitting works in the reverse fashion starting from the cell phone, to the small antenna, then through the amplifier and out the large antenna to the service tower. The benefits to be gained here are two fold. First, the antenna that communicates directly with the tower will have a much stronger response (higher gain) to the signals, both in and out, than the cell phone because of its sheer size. Secondly, the signal is being amplified again through an in-line amplifier. The result is a serious increase in local signal to your cell phone resulting in better battery life, fewer dropped and missed calls, and just plain better quality service. This type of setup is not limited to the home either. There are also systems available for installation in your vehicle which operate on the same principle.
Popular Science has a full length article describing these setups and even points out some manufacturers and models of devices available today.
Images:
Home Configuration
Automotive Configuration
Read More | Popular Science
Gallery: Making your Cellular Service More Reliable
ThinkGeek’s LighTalk Scanner is having its second coming out party. Simply draw an image on a piece of paper, scan it, switch and fan it, and you have a 4” x 7” image that will outshine everyone at the next 4th of July picnic. Get two of them, and you and your buds can flash back and forth.
Not only does the new and improved model scan faster, it contains 8 image banks to store your designs. Even better, the new sequential display allows you to show animated graphics or a paragraph of text. LighTalk is 8.5” long with a 1” diameter and scans best when used with a .2” black Sharpie (doesn’t everything work better with a Sharpie?).
LighTalk utilizes 2 AAA batteries (not included) for over 10 hours of continuous display and is available in three body colors. At a price of $39.00, LighTalk II comes with wrist strap and instructions.
Read More | ThinkGeek
Gallery: LighTalk LED Scanner II
Marware Protection Pack for Apple MacBook
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Apple, PC / Laptop,
We have heard quite a few stories from many a Gear Live reader as it pertains to the Apple MacBook and how some discoloration starts to set in after a while (although previously, it was after a very short while.) Enter in the Marware Protection Pack, built for the MacBook. This is essentially an inexpensive two-piece approach to protecting your MacBook. One piece is a removable wrist rest that both protects the area that easily becomes discolored, and also gives you cushion under your wrists. The set also includes a keyboard cover that doubles as a screen protector and wiping cloth. We will be hitting you back with a full review soon, but for now, you can pick one up for $19.95 USD - they are available in both black and white colors to match whatever MacBook model you own.
Read More | Marware Protection Pack Product Page
Gallery: Marware Protection Pack for Apple MacBook
ATI Introduces the Radeon X1950 XTX, First Look
Posted by Yuan Zhao Categories: Accessories, PC / Laptop, Video Games,
ATI has just introduced its latest and greatest graphics card to date, the Radeon X1950, which is slated to be available on September 13th. Configurable in both Crossfire and XTX editions, the X1950 cards come with 512MB of GDDR4 memory, the first of its kind. With a monster of a graphics card like the X1950, it looks like the ATI brand is to stay after all. Expect price cuts on X1900’s and older models as ATI readies the market for the X1950, which has an estimated street price of $449.
HardOCP got to put the card through a few tests, and reports back with their results.
Read More | ATI Press Release
Gallery: ATI Introduces the Radeon X1950 XTX, First Look
Optimus Mini Three Has Arrived
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Design, PC / Laptop, Peripherals,
It seems like we have waited for both the Optimus OLED Keyboard and the Optimus Mini Three for an eternity. The good news, however, is that the Mini Three has finally arrived, and ThinkGeek will soon be selling those bad boys. In fact, they got one in early, and took a few unboxing images to show the three-keyed device off. The OLED keys look great, but they only run at three frames-per-second, so don’t expect anything fancier than a constantly updating still image. Head on over to ThinkGeek for all the details.
Read More | ThinkGeek via Unboxing
Gallery: Optimus Mini Three Has Arrived
Belkin continues their surge protecting ways with the Compact Surge Protector. This one uses a unique design, offering a total of 11 outlets - 6 regular, 4 BlockSpace, and 1 convenience (for cell phone chargers, etc.) - in a compact (go figure) enclosure. The Compact Surge Protector offers a six-foot cord, a closing cover to protect pets and the kiddies, 1-in/2-out phone/fax/modem protection, and 1-in/1-out for coaxial cable and ethernet. Oh, and if it messes up your gear, you can rest easy knowing that it comes with a $300,000 Connected Equipment Warranty, sho ‘nuff. The compact surge protector will hit retail for $39.99 USD.
