Gear Patrol

Available with either 500GB or 1TB of storage, the Corsair Voyager Air ($199-$229) is a wi-fi wonder for media maniacs not content with cloudy reception. Dubbed the first all-in-one to combine the conveniences of being a USB drive, a wireless network drive and a hub, the Voyager Air is a potent portable of note. USB…

Remember those clunky “car phones” in the late ’80s and early ’90s? It seems we’ve reached that stage in computer/tablet hybrids. Essentially a tweaked, larger version of the Sony Vaio Tap 20, the Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC ($1,699+) might not be the most graceful computer at the ball, but it does pique our interest…

We have a ton of questions about the Ion Audio Air Copy, which was just announced at CES 2013. The primary one is, what’s a company most known for making inexpensive USB turntables doing throwing out a wireless scanner? More importantly, who actually needs — literally, needs — a wireless scanner? From our deep and…

Hard drives are about as exciting as, well, hard drives. Seagate Central ($190-$260) aims to change all that as the world’s first shared storage device with a Smart TV app, enabling you to access files on your flatscreen and just about every other device in your home. In short, the Seagate Central allows access to…

For obsessive but absent-minded tech geeks whose thumbs are jonesin’ to go green, the Flower Power app by Parrot is the perfect gardener on the cheap. Using a wireless bio-dongle — a kitschy divining-rod-shaped device that plugs into the soil next to your budding buddy — the app monitors plants’ stats in real time. Data…

Forget the confusing title, and remember this: the ShopKeep iPad POS by Griffin is going to make a lot of small business owners very happy. The new point-of-sale iPad mod — consisting of a protective case with built-in magnetic card reader that works in conjunction with the ShopKeep app — makes manning the cash register…

Streaming music to the four corners of your house might still be considered a luxury, but a new face in the hi-fi streaming game, Pure, claims to undercut the competition in price and ease of use with its Jongo speaker series. The line provides multi-speaker streaming for radio, podcasts, Pure Music subscriptions and more via…

When you need a camera to schlep to the top of the Rocky Mountains, very few can get the job done like the Olympus TOUGH series. The line’s new 12MP Olympus TG-2 ($380) is no exception, thanks to the plethora of features loaded into this little shooter. For starters, you can take the TG-2 along…

Sony’s finally taken the gloves off in the smartphone ring with its Xperia Z and Zl flagship Android handsets. Externally, the perfectly rectangular 0.31 inch thick Z is a classic example of Sony design and definitely different, — but it’ll likely take some getting used to in the hand. Its hardware rap sheet also stands toe-to-toe with premium devices like the Droid DNA, Optimus G and Nexus 4 thanks to a 5-inch 1080p “Reality Display”, Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, NFC, LTE, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a MicroSD slot.

Taking the iconic mantra “think different” to a whole new level, Nvidia — a company known for the graphics chips powering some of the best hardware on the market — has released what we think is either one of the coolest or zaniest releases at CES: Nvidia Project Shield. Either way you cut it, the…

If four times the number of pixels of the current Full HD standard can’t satisfy your lust for the bleeding edge, then the “unprecedented design” of the Samsung S9 UHD 4K TV should do the trick. The so-called “Timeless Gallery” frame mimics the look of an easel and allows the monstrous screen to rotate up…

Fujifilm continues to stand out as a small player making gargantuan strides (look no further than the massive improvements to the beloved X100). Their new flagship FinePix HS50EXR superzoom point and shoot is a useful, affordable tool for the mid-range photog. Even though the HS50EXR has a DSLR-style exterior, make no mistake: it isn’t one….

The Polaroid iM1836 camera isn’t the first Android powered shooter we’ve seen, not even from Polaroid, but it is the first mirrorless interchangeable lens shooter of its kind. A 10-30mm lens kit ships with the device, but we expect other lenses will follow. Plus, this albino wonder is compatible with existing micro four-thirds lenses via…

You can go ahead and file the Canon PowerShot N under stopgap product, but until someone figures out how to cram a big ol’ sensor and lens into a tiny lil’ package, there’s going to be a divide between what your smartphone’s camera and a real camera can capture. The PowerShot N’s approach is to…

The latest member of the ThinkPad family isn’t just a tablet dragging along a keyboard for faster emailing and double the battery power — though its companion QWERTY is certainly good for both of those things. The real kicker? Attaching the 11.6-inch Windows 8 touchscreen device to the keyboard activates a special cooling system in…

Tacking an “S” to the end of a product implies an incremental update in the minds of the Apple-obsessed, but Fujifilm’s successor to the X100 deserves more credit than that. The X100s ($1,300)‘s new autofocus system, augmented with phase detection, is touted as the worlds’ fastest at 0.08 seconds (we’re guessing that’s compared to other…

Ridley and Harrison fans: prepare to be disappointed. Famed designer Philippe Starck has teamed up with LaCie (again) to create a striking new 4TB USB 3.0 Blade Runner hard drive ($299) with an unusual form inspired by the 1982 dystopian sci-fi classic. But that’s where the connection to replicant huntin’ ends. The heavy-duty aluminum design…

Samsung’s crush on vacuum tube amplification started with the DA E750 Vacuum Tube AirPlay Dock announced at last year’s CES. Now it’s a full blown love affair — complete with rewards club memberships at the local Shag-a-Day Inn. According to the tech giant, the newly announced HW-F750 Vacuum Tube Soundbar and paired wireless subwoofer is…

Something needs to be done about our gadgets, because they’re getting to be too much. Toasters with wi-fi, espresso machines with built-in Instragram — every gadget today is trying to do everything for everyone, all while accomplishing absolutely nothing. It needs to stop. Out of the tangled wires and Bluetooth antennas, a hero, well, you…

We of all people love a good camera, but sometimes they can be so aesthetically… well, boring. Cold, monochromatic bodies coupled with cold, monochromatic buttons, dials and lenses — it makes even the plainest of men want to go out and do a little accessorizing. And while you may be cringing over the mental image…

While the rest of the Blu-ray player market races to the bottom of a Dollar Store dumpster, Oppo remains resolute in serving those who demand the highest possible audio and video quality out of their home theater. The company’s latest OPPO BDP-103 Universal 3D Blu-ray Player ($500) includes Marvell’s Kyoto-G2h video processor for True 24p…

So you managed to score that shiny new iPad Mini. Next step: a case. We’ve saved you hours of SafeSearch Googling by rounding up 30 of the best iPad Mini cases at a variety of price points to help get your new Cupertino buddy from birthday suit to warm and cozy. Whether you prioritize looks, function or insurance for your butterfingers, each of these iPad Mini cases has a forte — and a price. We’ve ordered our selections starting with the most affordable and will update this article as better entries come along. So peruse, hone in, and for god’s sake, cover your shame man.

Home theater buffs and audiophiles alike know that to achieve harmonic balance a quality low range is essential. For those who also seek balance in all things feng and shui, that usually means burying oversized towers under foliage of some sort or trying to stuff a subwoofer under a settee. To quell the dissonance, Seattle-based…

It’s hard to comprehend, but there are people out there in this great land of ours who don’t have high-speed internet access. Some, by choice (like your grandfather, who asked you to explain what Facebook is) and others by lack of choice, hamstrung by providers that ignore less populated areas due to high installation and…

The holidays are here again. Time for family, friends and wondering what to do when Grandma pulls that five-stick-o-butter apple pie hot and fresh from the oven. Finding ourselves wedged between the gorging holidays with New Year’s resolutions right around the corner, we’ve all hopefully considered some version of an exercise regimen. Personal trainers, however,…

Forget the Bose — throw the AirPlay enabled TEAC CR-H700 ($700) onto a bookshelf or console and you’ve got the perfect mid-sized room system. If you’re not familiar with TEAC, all the better; if you knew about the company’s bargain basement offerings of yore, forget them. It is worth noting they’re one of the oldest…

If the world really does end on the 21st, this app will be useless. But if Zero Hour doesn’t hit, 1 Second Everyday could be a life changer. Using your iPhone camera, this personal hobby turned TED Talk turned funded Kickstarter project chronicles your life one second at a time. Its creation story is blessedly…

It’s fitting that the radio has always had geographic limitations. Think of it as Mother Earth’s little joke: as media has made the world a smaller place, she still reminds you that she’s large enough to be an inconvenience — radio waves can only travel so far, after all. Which is why we imagine she’s…

The typical Mac user’s desktop setup is a uniform of brushed aluminum, displayed with pride and reverence. Many accessory makers have tried break into the clique with lures of enhancements — but few take the bait, for fear of marring their Cupertino livery.

It’s safe to go out on the streets again. No more following driving directions into a lake a la “The Office”. Google Maps for iOS 6 (free) is the same quality tool it’s ever been, with a new streamlined look and a deliciously intuitive UI in addition to search, voice guided turn-by-turn navigation and street…