Tech2

On-Ear headphones are making a comeback. Once banished to the 80s with the foamy-coated walkman-style ‘phones, the audiophile set are once again embracing the power of the tiny cans. I’ll admit, at first blush I didn’t get it. Over-ears, in-ears? They made sense to me. Over ears with their full, lush soundstage for home and studio, and in-ears for portability… those were my two needs fulfilled. So where do on-ears fit into the picture? Answer: In Goldilocks territory. For those who hate that stuffed in-ear feeling, but don’t want to be stuck sporting full-sized and possibly heavy over-ear headphones while out and about, on-ears can be a really great option. And the market has caught up, with some great higher end options. I’ve written already about the V-Moda XS, and now Beyerdynamic have a brand new offering out this week, the T 51 i. Are these baby Beyers a good fit?

I had expected a fairly simple top-down space shooter, something like Space Pirates and Zombies.

While there was certainly action, The Last Federation has an impressive amount of depth. It’s a turn-based shooter, sure, but it’s also a world-building and political strategy game as well, but done in a way I haven’t seen before.

And it’s wonderfully addictive.

There’s something your phone can do (probably) that can not only save you money, but make vacations more enjoyable (maybe).

They’re called SIM cards, and they’re not much discussed in the States, but are commonplace pretty much everywhere else.

To find out why you should care (potentially), read on.

Ah, Bluetooth. The desire to cut the cord has led to a market flooded with a dozen new wireless headphone options in the last few months. The latest to enter the fray is JBL, with their Synchros S400BT: a touch sensor controlling, LED glowing, aptX encoding, Bluetooth 3.0 stereo over-ear headphone. With all those bells and whistles, I just had to give them a try. How would they measure up?

There’s been a lot of talk lately about premium streaming music services, especially now that Dr. Dre, (creator of Beats headphones) has thrown his hat into the ring. It’s a compelling proposition Dre makes, especially considering that he single handedly re-invented and reinvigorated the headphone industry. But as an observer, I find myself exceptionally torn about the idea of a streaming service both as a consumer and creator of media.

Okay, it’s the end of January. Be honest: how are you doing with your New Year Resolutions? Stop groaning. I know, it’s hard. Good habits are tough to build, and life has a sneaky way of creating obstacles on the path towards good intentions. But never fear, I have a few tech ideas that might just help you kick start your resolve. Pick a resolution to learn how.

This was the first year I made the trek to Las Vegas to experience the CES mayhem. I had heard many things about CES, and while a lot of it was true, there were also some aspects that I never anticipated. Here, in no particular order are the top 8 things I learned at CES.