The speaker itself is about the size of a toddler’s fist; fairly small. Included with the speaker balloon is the audio cable (necessary to connect the speakers to the your MP3 player or computer), a USB cable to charge the speakers, a Japanese/English operating manual, and a small orange bag to hold the speakers when you aren’t using them. The speaker charges via USB from your computer and takes about 2 hours to reach a full charge. Once charged the speakers last about 5 hours. The speaker automatically turns on once connected to the audio cable. The design is practical and adorable. I’ve received  many compliments about the intriguing design.

One major disappointment is that if you leave the audio cable plugged into the speaker when the speaker is not in use the battery will drain. Another annoyance is the flimsy audio cord; it’s thin and seems as if it could easily break under stress.

The volume is loud enough and can be changed manually on your audio player. The sound would probably carry well within a group 4-5 people (think small), but is definitely not intended for party use.

The sound quality itself is surprising for such a small device. Sometimes if tilted at the wrong angle, the volume becomes very low or slightly muted, which can be very annoying, nonetheless, the speakers produce sounds clearly and vibrantly.

I would highly recommend these speakers if you are traveling with a small group of friends or maybe when mingling with buddies at a small gathering. They’ll be  impressed by the looks and maybe by the sound quality.

[rating:77/100]

The speaker will set you back $40 and is available at New People World in San Francisco and on their website.

Hard Candy Bubble Sleeve

The Bubble Case is a nice addition to our arsenal of iPad cases because it is good for things like travel, although it is not as versatile as other iPad cases. The design of this case is similar to that of a hard sleeve but instead of having a flat exterior it has large bubbles the exterior. The case is sturdy enough for you to let your iPad tumble around inside your bag. The iPad is secured by 4 removable rubber grips to hold it securely, protecting the screen from cracks. The bumpers that hold the iPad squeeze the device to secure it in place which makes it challenging to put the iPad in the case quickly. Another challenge is differentiating the top and the bottom of the case. When I carelessly unzipped the case, I ended up dropping my iPad. If you are a traveler I suggest this case because of the tumble your iPad might encounter during your travels. The case will set you back $50, but it may be worth it to protect your $500 iPad. Buy on Amazon

Tuff-Luv Leather iPad Case

This is a substantial leather case that protects your valued iPad. The Tuff-Luv case attaches to the device and similarly to the Apple case, you can prop the case on its side. The Tuff-Luv case is made of pure leather. While this case adds significant weight to your device, the versatility makes it worth while. The iPad can be positioned landscape at many angles, from almost flat to almost 90º while using this case. The range of angles provides for an awesome viewing experience whether watching a movie or writing a novel. The leather is thick, so when the iPad is flat on a table a slim portion of the bottom of the screen is not visible. Although the options of landscape positioning are limitless, using the device in portrait can be a challenge because stability. This case is durable and versatile, but it will cost you $60. In any case, this case has got you covered. Buy on Amazon

WaterGuard Plus Waterproof Case

The WaterGuard iPad case arrived at a great time, after an exhausting day of school. I was ready for a bath and a book. Fortunately this is the twenty first century, and a bath and a book for me means a bath an iPad and an awesome padded WaterGuard waterproof case. The case has 3 layers of waterproofing. Two super sealed ziplocks and a few button closures ensure that no water touches your iPad. The case is made of thick padded plastic, making using the iPad a little more challenging, but still usable. Regardless, if you are only using the iPad for reading a book or a magazine near or in water, the case works fine. I would not recommend the WaterGuard case for everyday use. The case serves its purpose: the iPad doesn’t get wet. It’s much more challenging to use the iPad in the case, especially underwater. For only $20 the case is a bargain. Buy on Amazon

Equipped with a case that holds your iPad when traveling, a case that keep your iPad alive underwater and a case that’s for everyday use you’re ready to explore what the world has to offer. With an iPad by your side (or in your hand) there’s nothing you can’t do!

Apple recently released the iPhone 4. The new iPhone 4 sports a new fantastic screen, called the Retina Display, two cameras, (one 5 megapixel HD camera on the back, and a VGA on the front), which allows you to make impressive video calls ( a feature called Facetime), and a whole new design. This awesome device will cost you some dough ($200 for the 16GB model and $300 for the 32GB model), so we teamed up with @AppInsanity to Giveaway a 32GB iPhone 4! Read on for the directions on how to enter.

To Enter This Giveaway, you have to do 3 steps:

Step 1: Follow @AppInsanity (you HAVE to, or else you will be immediately disqualified)

Step 2: Follow @freeiphoneapps (you HAVE to, or else you will be immediately disqualified)

Step 3: Tweet this (fill out your creative response of course!):

Sorry, the contest is over.

This unique laptop case is unlike most other laptop cases. Instead of being made of boring polyester or nylon, it’s made of bright orange felt. It uses a thick felt which will protect your computer from the smaller bumps that it will inevitably get. Although the felt is good at absorbing small bumps and protecting the computer from being scratched, the Red Maloo case does not protect the corners of the computer.

This is an area of concern, especially with the aluminum unibody computers. Although it’s a pretty good case, an excellent case should protect all of the computer and protect it more where it needs it. Apple could have almost designed this case—yes, its that Apple-like. Remember those really nice iPod boxes that Apple used to use?

Those ones which were like origami? This case works like that. This elegant and secure method of ‘latching’ the case by folding it up and securing velcro works well and starts conversations whenever it is opened or closed. This well designed case has one one flaw—the exposed corners, but other than that, this case is surprisingly functional and it looks really good. I’d suggest this to any person who’s looking for a case that protects from minor bumps and scratches and wants a unique, good looking case.

The eyeball spots a really interesting design. The entire webcam is shaped like a giant microphone, with a really miniscule video lens popping out of the left side of the microphone. The microphone and lens unit are connected to a folding hinge that allows the entire webcam to be easily attached to an LCD display or the top of notebook. The mic is also very travel-friendly. The mic and be folded into the plastic cover along with the USB cable can be enclosed within. It is truthfully unique design and is arguably one of the key selling points, even though it’s by far not the thinnest mic on the market to date.

Installation and usage of the webcam is almost idiot-proof. If you own a Mac, all you need to do is plug in the mic into the computer via USB. That’s it! The Mac already connects it. The driverless webcam is TRULY plug and play. I also tested the mic on Windows XP and it immediately recognized the webcam and the USB audio microphone. Immediately we were able to enjoy the Eyeball. I was able to take photos through Photobooth, record high quality audio on Garageband, and shoot video. Later versions of Windows (including Windows 7 and Vista) along with Mac OS X Snow Leopard are also supported and is just as simple to get up and running.

The eyeball has a sturdy construction and seems very durable. The mini USB connection is located on the back of the microphone. The cord is mini USB to USB. I really enjoyed how the camera lens could be pushed inside the mic, guaranteeing that you won’t be filmed unknowingly. To hideaway the lens, you just need to firmly push your finger at the lens. is safely tucked away inside the unit. If the Eyeball ever ends up in a James Bond film, th
ough, it will be for its audio recording abilities rather than any claims of stealthiness or visual output, as we’ll soon find out.

We put the Eyeball through three tests. The first test was using the Eyeball to take still shots like a tethered digital camera. The second test was an audio-only test where we recorded various sounds and recordings, and the final test relied on YouTube’s webcam for uploading videos instantaneously from a webcam.

In practice, we found the audio quality impressive but the visual quality sorely lacking. The Eyeball claims to sport an HD lens but our test shots look anything but high definition; a close read finds that you only get a full 30 frames per second at 640×480, not unlike most mid-range webcams. We recorded everything from our own voices to music being played back from a set of computer speakers and found the Eyeball did a great job of recording the audio. Playback of our recordings came back clear and without any noticeable echo or artifacting. Video and still shot testing was not as impressive. We took several over a dozen still shots of a stack of DVDs and the picture below was our best result for a static image: there’s visible pixelation as well as less-than-ideal contrast and exposure.

For video testing we uploaded a handful of short videos to YouTube. The videos are taken several feet from a small color TV playing broadcast versions of The Mummy and Top Gun. The videos really tell the whole story. The audio from the movie comes in clearly, while the picture suffers from slow exposure correction, block artifacting due to a low bitrate, and overall poor quality.

The eyeball retails for $100, but whether or not that price is a strong value depends entirely on your intended uses. For those who are concerned with the absolute best quality in audio recording from a webcam, the Eyeball could be a good choice. However, if you care at all about picture quality you may want to look elsewhere for your webcam needs. For podcasters or individuals that need a USB audio microphone the Eyeball could double as a second-rate webcam while serving as a primary, quality audio recording device.

For now, we’d recommend that Blue sticks to audio recording, where it clearly can produce an excellent product; the company’s audio-only Snowball has earned praise of its own, and for good reason. The video portion of the Eyeball, though, produces results we would have expected from years-old products and makes this a rather expensive proposition better served by webcams that don’t quite have the audio mastery but produce a cleaner picture.

iPhone Integration Rating: 5
Stability: 5
Features: 4
User Interface: 5
Re-use Value: 4
Overall Rating: 4.6

Mass Effect: Galaxy is a top-down shooter based on the award-winning Xbox 360 game. It retains the same conversational elements and effects of your choices in the conversations.

Mass Effect: Galaxy follows the story of Jacob, a former soldier who is given a mission to stop the detonation of a chemical weapon on the Citadel, the main international peacekeeping space-station. As the story progresses, Jacob meets many new characters that help him along his journey.

ME:G uses stylized, comic-style cut-scenes and conversations to further the story. The game takes the player on many adventures throughout various planets and locations around the galaxy. The combat is fought using the iPhones accelerometer to control the player’s movement while the firing is done automatically while the player selects the target by tapping on the enemy.

The conversation is dealt with as a slider wheel on the right side of the screen with many different options to choose from. Each option has a symbol next to it that will let you know of the possible outcome from choosing that option such as a fist meaning that a fight could occur or a thumbs-up meaning that you will most likely get a friendly response.

The game also has great sound effects and an amazing musical score. It helped immerse the player in the environment as does the scarce voice acting.

The graphics in ME:G are exceptional for an iPhone game, utilizing a comic-book style of 2-D graphics. The cut-scenes are used in a way to further the story while keeping them short enough to keep the player involved.

Overall, Mass Effect: Galaxy is a great, story-driven, top-down shooter with great conversation and cutscenes that break up the action. It honors the source material greatly and even adds to the suspense of waiting for Mass Effect 2. It is a good length story that has high replay value and is definitely worth the $2.99 price.