Review
Man’s Best Tech’s Favorite Podcasts
Podcasts are great. Whether you’re driving, passing the time at work, or relaxing at home, there are thousands of options at your disposal at any given time. Name a topic and there’s sure to be something that peaks your interest. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t listen to a podcast because of its convenience. As long as you have an internet connection, or you download podcasts you want to listen to beforehand, you can listen anywhere you go on your smartphone, tablet, PC or Mac. To top it all off podcasts are free and have minimal ads compared to more traditional media like cable television. Now, without further ado, here are some of my favorite podcasts that you should start listening to immediately. Read the rest of this entry »
iPhone 5s Review: 3 Months Later
If you’ve been reading MBT for a while, you know that I use an iPhone as my primary device. I switched over from a Blackberry (what was I thinking?) in October 2011. I loved my iPhone 4S for the 11 months that I had it but I convinced myself I needed to upgrade to the iPhone 5 in September 2012. I bought it unsubsidized (ouch!) in order to keep my unlimited data with Verizon. I was truly happy with the iPhone 5. The screen was bigger and brighter, it was unbelievably light compared to previous smartphones, and the processor was incredibly ‘snappy’. Flash forward another 12 months and I was sure I was going to sit the iPhone 5s out. That is until I was offered a family member’s own upgrade which wouldn’t affect my unlimited data. Now after using the 5s everyday for the past 3 months am I still happy I upgraded?
First let’s start off by saying that if you have an iPhone 4S or older, you want to switch over to iOS from Android, or are in the market for your first smartphone, I highly recommend the 5s. It’s a beautifully made phone with incredible processing power that only a handful of other handsets can even compete with. Here are my observations after using the iPhone 5s for 3 months: Read the rest of this entry »
Five Must Have Apps for Your iPad Air/Retina iPad Mini
The iPad Air and Retina iPad mini are incredible devices. The 64-bit A7 processor in each is more than capable or running the absolute best mobile apps on the market today. But with over 1 million iOS apps to choose from it’s  hard to know where to start. Here is a list of five must have apps every iPad owner should download:
Flipboard (Free)
Flipboard is the best, most beautiful personal news aggregator for the iPad. Once you create an account you simply choose what type of news stories you want to read about. For example, I have chosen Sports, Travel, Technology, and Business with many more options available. You can even link your social networking accounts and view all your feeds and photos in Flipboard’s beautiful magazine like layout. There are also some new features like saving items to your own personalized ‘magazine’ for viewing later. You can easily spend hours within Flipboard and never be bored.
Netflix (Free)
While the iPad has come a long way in terms of content creation, its strongpoint is still content consumption, i.e. watching videos. If you have a Netflix subscription (and really, who doesn’t these days?) make sure to download the free iOS app. The app basically turns your iPad into a television anywhere you have an internet connection. This is great when you are on vacation, but I find myself
Five Must Have Apps For Your iPhone 5s
One of the best reasons to own an iPhone is the App store. Apple now boasts over 1 million apps, up from 900,000 in June. Not only are these apps useful but many iOS apps are designed beautifully. While Android and their Google Play store have caught up in terms of number of apps, Apple’s App Store is still where developers take their product first.
Whether you just got your first iPhone or are just looking for new apps to bring excitement to your iOS experience, here are my 5 favorite apps for the iPhone 5s.
Tweetbot 3 ($2.99)
Tweetbot 3Â is far and away my favorite 3rd party Twitter client. While the official Twitter for iPhone app received a fresh coat of paint when iOS 7 was released, it still doesn’t hold a candle to Tweetbot. Tweetbot allows for easy switching between multiple accounts by tapping on your avatar in the upper left hand corner. This works well for those that want to monitor a business’s account along with a personal account. When Tweetbot 3 was released its primarily white background bothered some users. It did bother me a bit when I would check my feed in bed with the lights off. Enter update 3.2 and Night Theme. This theme allows for optimized reading in dark situations. You can quickly change between Night Theme and the Default White theme by swiping up and down the screen with two fingers like a light switch. This is the Twitter app made for the power user but can still be enjoyed by those who just want to scroll their feed. Read the rest of this entry »
Nexus 7 (2013) Review
Last year Google, with some help from Asus, released its first generation Nexus 7 tablet. It was an inexpensive ($199) way to get into the Android eco-system. Quickly it became the most popular tablet not named iPad. It was small and portable, fitting in most pockets, while still packing a punch with a quad core processing chip. A big selling point of the Nexus brand of devices is that they are the first to receive Android software updates. The Nexus 7 (2012) was indeed the first device to ship with Android 4.1. It was a solid device which received much acclaim, but some improvements were needed to its 2013 offering in order to become a more well rounded tablet.
This past July Google released the updated Nexus 7 (2013) in 16GB ($229), 32GB ($269), and 32GB LTE ($349) variations.. This tablet would prove to be one of the most sought after tech products of 2013. Read the rest of this entry »
iPad Air Review
Originally released in 2010, Apple’s full sized 9.7″ iPad has largely looked the same for the past 2.5 years. It actually got ever so slightly heavier and thicker in 2012 when the first iPad with Retina display came along. Couple that with an impending iPad Mini with Retina display and many wondered if the iPad would remain a must have tablet. Luckily for us, Apple raised the bar again and announced the iPad Air at their event last month.
The iPad Air is available in Space Gray or Silver, Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + Cellular, and storage capacities of 16, 32, 64, or 128GB. The 16GB Wi-Fi model starts at $499 while the 16GB Wi-Fi +Cellular model is $629. Each increase in storage will cost you an additional $100, topping out at a whopping $929 for the 128GB Wi-Fi +Cellular model.
I’ve had the iPad Air for almost a week now and here are my impressions: Read the rest of this entry »
iPad Mini With Retina Display Review
Like everyone else, I was surprised to find Apple had put their iPad mini with Retina display on sale via their website when I awoke Tuesday morning. Reviews had yet to hit the web and the smart money had pegged a likely November 22nd launch. I had a 3rd generation iPad (iPad 3) that I was generally happy with but at the last minute I received an offer I couldn’t refuse. For a very small out of pocket price I could pick up Apple’s new iPad mini. I found a store in my area that had the model I wanted (16GB Space Gray) and never looked back.
If you want an iPad mini today, your only option is to order it online and choose personal pickup. Otherwise you are left to wait the 1-3 or 5-10 days until the configuration you desire is ready to ship.
Here are some observations from my first 24 hours with the iPad mini with Retina display: Read the rest of this entry »
Nike+ FuelBand (Review)
“The older you get, the harder it is to stay in shape,” stop me if you’ve heard this before. I can certainly relate, which is why for the better half of the past five years I have taken up running with various degrees of success. While it is still possible to go to the gym and work up a sweat without any form of technology, I found that I was more motivated by doing so. First, as is common, I ran with my iPod. Listening to music seemed to get me to run just a little bit harder. Then when I finally took the plunge and bought my first smartphone I started trying out GPS based apps. They not only mapped my runs but also showed me how fast I was running. I still use these applications today but I have added some exciting new technology into the mix, the Nike+ Fuelband.
Nike first released the FuelBand in February of 2012. It is worn on the wrist and its main purpose is to provide its user with information on how active they are on a given day. Nike does this by using their own propiertary measurement, NikeFuel. It takes a little while to get used to but given time you start to learn what constitutes an active day for yourself. Out of the box Nike tells you that 3000 NikeFuel points is what they consider to be active.
When first unboxing your Nike+ FuelBand you must connect it to your computer via the USB chord supplied. This is where you set up your daily goal for the first time. Listening to Nike, I stuck with 3000. This means that every day I reach 3000 points my FuelBand lights up with a cool little graphic. Along with Fuel, the FuelBand also shows how many calories you have burned, steps you have taken, and the time of day by pressing the button on the band.
This product sounds pretty great on paper, so how well does it work? Read the rest of this entry »
Man's Best Tech 