Cadence 4:20 Watch Review

Elegant, Useful, and Superior. These are the three words that describe the Cadence 4:20 Classic watch in my opinion and I truly believe that the watch is a testament to how the company manages its products, from production to shipping. The unit that I received came in an orange gift box and the minute I opened it up, I knew there was something special about it, from the leather band to the ticking hands on the face. With that, let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of the watch. As I mentioned before, the watch  has a elegant vibe that you get as soon as you open up the box, and one of the best things that I loved about the watch is the presentation of it.

“If you think 4:20 is the most important time of day, this watch is for you. If you have no idea why 4:20 is a special time of day, there is nothing here for you.”

XtremeMac MicroShield Layers Review

Apple released the iPhone 4S last month and a number of cases have come out that add a little bit of style and pizzaz to your new investment. The XtremeMac Microshield Layers is truly a great pick for the iPhone as it combines a layer of soft protection for the inside and a hard outer shell that defends against small drops and bumps. Together, it is one of the strongest, most durable, and simple cases to use. The case wraps tightly around your iPhone 4S, so there’s a guarantee that the iPhone will be snug when taking in and out of your pocket. One negative side note though, the Michroshield Layer case is one of the cases that is very tough to remove. I had to pry open the case with a number of items, including a credit card. There should be a small opening or slit that, with a slight push, should open the case right up. Other than that, there are absolutely no complaints about this case.

The rainbow color wasn’t really my taste, however the case including two inside soft layers, one Rainbow, one all blue. The blue one seemed to be the best fit for me, as it protected my iPhone very well, but at the same time, added some solid colors and design to my phone. The small bubbles on the back on great for resting on tables and good for grip. The back of the iPhone, on the inside collected no dust which I found impressive, as most iPhone cases usually accumulate a good amount of dust and debris that scratches the backside of the iPhone. This one however, did a very good job of protecting against that. The XtremeMac Microshield Layers are not yet available for sale, but will be coming soon. You can purchase yours here for $39.99.  In the end, here’s a recap:

Pros 

-solid case, colorful, very efficient in protecting the iPhone

-soft and hard combo is very interesting and useful

-protects iPhone 4S from drop/dust/debris

Cons

-Very, Very hard to remove and plastic breaks sometimes when trying to remove

Out of 5 stars, this case receives a 4.5

iMainGo X for iPhone and iPod touch – Small System, Huge Sound [Review]

The iMainGo X case is covered in a synthetic, smooth black fabric, which houses hard plastic for extra drop protection. The case is closed by a zipper that goes all around the edges of the case, and when fully closed, shows two speakers , each  7/8” in diameter, covered with a metal grill.  There are also two open bass ports which allow heavy beats and smooth undertones. On the outside, near the bass ports and the charging input, there are two headphone jacks, numbered 1 and 2.

When headphones are plugged into jack 1, the iMainGo X is powered off and the sound comes directly from the MP3 player, allowing for private listening without having to take out the iPhone. The iMainGo X is specifically tailored for the iPhone and iPod touch and features a window on the back of the case which allows you to put your device inside of the case and use it in one piece.

You can navigate the interface exactly as you would without the case and allows for multiple iMainGo Xs to be linked together for maximum sound. The great thing about iMainGo X is that it doesn’t have to be a case but could also double as an external speaker for other devices larger than the speaker, like the iPad or even a Macbook.

Verbatim TUFF-’N'-TINY USB drive — Definitely Lives up to it’s Name [Review]

             

Review Model 2GB (8GB Pictured Above) Both models are same size

The Verbatim Tuff- N’-Tiny USB is truly a great product. When it arrived at the doorstep, we couldn’t help but marvel at how small it actually was. The USB is less than an inch long and as thin as 2 millimeters. It definitely  puts the S in small. I got the pleasure of reviewing a 2GB Tuff N Tiny drive and I have to say that it is quite easy to use. I thought that because it was missing the outer metal shell , it would be hard to put into any port, but I was surprised. The USB easily slides into any USB port and shows up in the computer’s queue within seconds. Verbatim’s Tuff N Tiny also has a key ring, which I’ve been using for the past few days. It’s hardly noticable and adds no bulk, and I can proudly say that it comes to the rescue when you need to transfer files on the go.

It is tough and water-impermeable, which is always a plus incase you go the beach or the pool (sand can and will get into a USB at the beach, BUT NOT THIS ONE!). Verbatim’s name for the product is truly representative of what the product actually delivers and I believe that it is guaranteed to be one of the best USB drives and flash memory products you have used and is undoubtedly worth the $50 pricetag.

Give it a try. It’s available on the Verbatim website, or if you’re looking for the specific one reviewed here (2GB Orange), you can get it here.

Apple Introduces New Features in iOS 5

Apple announced the future of iOS today with iOS 5, introducing the biggest part, a revamped notification system, the biggest change to the OS since iOS 3. The new system is called Notification Center and is accessed similar to Android when swiped down from the top of the screen.

Notification Center aggregates all the notifications in one spot and allows for easy access to all at one time instead of clicking each one individually. This is the first Pull Down menus we have seen in iOS and could be included to a number of features throughout. Notifications are also now on the lock screen, allowing easy access to calendar events as well as missed phone calls. Apple, aside from the major change of notifications has introduced Newsstand which allows newspapers and books to be found in one place. Other features in iOS 5 are:

SkyFire for iPhone Brings Flash to iPhone, iPod touch [Review]

SkyFire, produced by Skyfire Labs, Inc. is an app that brings flash to the iPhone and iPod touch. While the app does play full flash videos on most sites on the web, there are the exceptions where video does not play. Skyfire labs has great customer service that accepts request from within the app for sites that currently don’t play videos. After receiving a request , Skyfire will do it’s best to fix the site to work on the browser. The browser works very smoothly, loading pages very quickly and efficiently. The settings in the app are spot on, giving you all controls at once with the click of 3 buttons or less. There were a couple of negative parts of the app that I felt could use a bit more work:

1) The Social Sharing and SkyBar at the bottom gave the browser a cluttered feel, and I was always fearing that I would click something that I didn’t want to click.

2) Simplicity is lacking. The multiple buttons on top should be brought down and should display in full in landscape view.

3) Allow the browser to scroll back to top with the touch of the bar up top (similiar to Safari)

4) Needs a few maintenance and stability updates (mulitple crashes since download)

Skyfire is a great replacement for Safari, if only small features could be fixed. Other than that, there are no problems and the app runs and does what it’s supposed to do. It’s a truly great app and there isn’t another application in all of the App Store that does as good a job of playing flash videos than Skyfire does. I suggest you download it, it’s definetely worth giving a try.

iPhone Rumored to Support T-Mobile’s 3G Network (and Maybe Sprint?)

Image from BGR (Boy Genius Report)

Coming out of the holiday weekend brought some interesting news about the iPhone moving to other networks. Now that the iPhone is no longer exclusive to AT&T and it’s now operating on the CDMA networks of Verizon, there is a very likely possibility that T-Mobile will be getting the iPhone as soon as this year. It has also been rumored that Apple is looking to release the long awaited white iPhone 4 this Wednesday, April 27th, 2011. Reports from Boy Genius Report as well as MacRumors point to an iPhone 4 release on T-Mobile. The pictures from a source at BGR likely confirm this possibility that Apple is curently testing a prototype dubbed, “N94″, on T-Mobiles 3G network. There is alsoa rumor floating around that soon after T-Mobile, Apple is looking to move to Sprint, which is the fourth major service provider in the US. If it does play out as rumored, the iPhone will open up to AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint, giving users many more options on network providers. Check out the pics below: 

Living Earth HD for iPhone – World Clock and Weather (Review)

Living Earth HD is the last weather application that you’ll use. It brings together an alarm clock with the times of every country, and city in the world. Just input your favorites into the cue and you can easily flip through them. The live view of the earth allows you to see the Earth via satellite. The live images are updated every 3 hours. This allows you to see a great image of the planet no matter where you are. In my use of the app, I found that the alarm clock was the hidden gem of this app.

It allows you to wake up to your favorite song and plays a backup tone for several seconds in case you close the app by mistake. The UI of the app is fluid and runs smoothly on Apple’s iPad, iPhone 4, and iPod touch 4. It has a simple settings section, the live view of the earth and the only connection out of the app is a selection screen that pops up for your music. I can proudly say that this app will be replacing my bland Apple Weather application preinstalled on my iPod.

(Living Earth HD – $0.99 in App Store)

**Developer Moshen Chan provided us with a few promo codes, so if you’d like a copy of the app, leave a comment below with a real email address so that we can email you the promo code. An iTunes account is required in order to download the app.**

Three Trees for iPhone Review

Three Trees is an interesting twist on your average game and is very different than games that one normally plays. The most interesting part is the attention to detail, although the opening menu could use some work. The buttons seem unclickable. Other than that, ThreeTrees definitely fulfills it’s promise.

The game’s objective is to keep 3 three small trees alive and help them grow using air,wind and water.

If too much of these elements gets on any of the three trees, the tree will grow smaller and smaller until it dies, where you will lose the game. Overall, it was an amazing game, bringing together some aspects of nature and science in order to form a fun and captivating game!

Pros: fun game; great idea and very challenging. Keeps you trying until you beat your high score. Excellent speed and great graphics!

Cons: could use gamecenter support, a better title menu, and a little bit more gameplay (something that gives it a bit more oomph!

Rating: 4 out of 5

FiveFingerTees- The Last Tee You’ll Ever Wear (Sponsored)

FiveFingerTees is an amazing T-Shirt retailer that has every kind of humor that you could possibly be looking for, emblazoned across the chest of a T-Shirt. FiveFingerTees continues to update their designs, bringing you the latest and greatest of them all. You have options ranging anywhere from Movie Tshirts, to pop culture, funny and horror t-shirts. I can honestly say that shipping is fast, the options are amazing and the t-shirts are made of 100% cotton so you’ll be comfortable in them right away (no breaking in crisp tees). Pick up yours today, right here!