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IRL: Chumby 8, LaCie Rugged Triple USB 3.0 and a duo of Nikkor lenses
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. You know what we're sick of talking about? (Okay, sick is a strong word, but you catch our drift.) Phones. Also, the iPad. Fortunately, this week's IRL touches on neither of the above. Instead, our audio guy Joe takes a different tack and explains his choice of Nikkor lenses, while Andy and Billy get hands-on with a rugged hard drive and Chumby 8, respectively. Head on past the break to see how we rate this stuff after spending more than a little time with all of it.
IRL: Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones, Speck SeeThru Satin and the Nokia N800
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Of this week's IRL contributors, two have already tried out that replacement for iChat. For the purposes of this column, though, all three are waxing on about something very old, at least by early adopter standards. For starters, James still get the warm-and-fuzzies holding his Nokia N800 Internet Tablet, despite its crawling page load times. Joe, our resident audio guru, explains why he tosses a reference to Bowers & Wilkins' P5 into almost every one of his headphone reviews. And the object of Mat's affection -- a laptop skin -- slipped under our radar when it came out over a year ago. So is James actually still using that N800? What's Joe's obsession with B&W? And why would anyone spend $50 on a notebook prophylactic? Read on to find out.
IRL: Spotify, Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 and Oakley's AP backpack 3.0
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. In this, our last edition of IRL before worldwide eat-Chinese-food-and-go-to-the-movies day, we're unpacking our gifts a few days early. Darren replaced his document scanner after his old one went to wherever it is that deceased scanners go, Joe finally settled on a gadget bag stylish enough to go with his skinny jeans and Brian's given himself the gift of a Spotify premium account. So how's it going, here in real life? Head past the break to find out.
IRL: Google Voice, FastMac's U Socket and returning the iPhone 4S
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Hi there, folks. Happy almost-four-day-weekend to you too. As you'd expect, we're not the types to waste an opportunity to tie IRL into a national eating orgy, so this week's edition is appropriately about giving thanks. Terrence appreciates Google Voice, even if it slips some incomprehensible one-liners into his transcriptions. Zach, meanwhile, is mighty happy about his U Socket purchase (because wall-mounted USB ports are a beautiful, beautiful thing). And Joe -- actually, he's none too grateful for the two iPhone 4S' he returned, though he is glad Google hurried up and released Ice Cream Sandwich. What's his problem, anyway? Meet us after the break to find out.
IRL: Verizon SCH-LC11 LTE hotspot, Sennheiser CXC 700 headphones and the Xperia Arc
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. It's that time of the week, where we take a pause from blitzkrieg hands-on opps and pick apart the gadgets we've been using long-term. This time around, Joe tries Sennheiser's CXC 700 headphones, Mat defends the original Xperia Arc and Darren breaks down the pitfalls of trying to get work done with a temperamental VZW hotspot. Because when it comes to getting a consistent LTE signal across the US, what could possibly go wrong?
IRL: Playseat Evolution, HTC Thunderbolt and a five-year-old iMac
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Quick poll for the Android loyalists out there: anyone getting the Droid RAZR? Opting for the Galaxy Nexus instead? There's still one or two of us here at Engadget clinging onto our OG Droids and Nexus Ones, and after a week of high-profile handset announcements, we might be hemming and hawing for another month yet. We'll throw Michael in that boat, even though he took a chance on the Thunderbolt earlier this year and will be stuck with its battery-draining ways for at least another Revolution of the Earth. As for the rest of us not due for an upgrade, Joe is still justifying his $350 gaming toy while Billy is bringing up Team Luddite on his five-year-old iMac. You know the drill by now: join us past the break where we'll talk about the trusty (and embarrassingly old) gear we're using in real life.
IRL: WildBlue satellite internet, international charging, a flashing habit and failing to get work done on an iPad
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. It's been a whirlwind two weeks of sitting inside concept cars, soaking up details about the PlayStation Vita and getting acquainted with Windows 8, and now that it's all wound down, we're getting back to the business of griping about gadgets we already own. This week, Darren dresses down the satellite service we used to hit posts in the wilderness, Tim takes a breather after a year of jet-setting, Joseph carries on his flashing streak and as for Joe, well, let's just say his honeymoon with the iPad has come to a sudden, unproductive end.
IRL: The stuff Engadget editors are using... in real life
Hi, guys! Welcome to IRL, a brand new feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life. One of the reasons we started this column is that we don't necessarily stop evaluating products once we slap on a numbered rating and publish some 3,000 words worth of impressions. This is a dilemma all gadget reviewers wrestle with, really. It's one thing to test a product for a week and report back on benchmark results and battery life, but it's another thing entirely to live with it. Sometimes, there are things we didn't get to test. And if you play with something long enough, the Honeymoon always comes to an end. No exceptions. We still see reviews as a snapshot in time -- our job, after all, is to size up the products folks might be thinking of buying today, and it's not fair to stay mum while we wait for companies to tweak products they had no business shipping half-baked in the first place. But we don't think the conversation should end with the review. You guys already get to sound off on the things you own in the "How would you change?" column. Consider this our turn.
Growing Up Geek: Joe Pollicino
Welcome to Growing Up Geek, an ongoing feature where we take a look back at our youth and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. Today, we have our very own Associate Editor, Joe Pollicino. Growing up geek? I'm having trouble believing I did. In preparation for this piece I scoured all of my family's photo albums (these stop at around 2004 -- must've been that digital camera craze), and the pictorial evidence to support my geeky ways just doesn't seem to exist. Notably, I had to start wearing huge glasses in kindergarten, but to me that's merely a trapping of the stereotypical nerd aesthetic -- though I do fancy my current Rivers Cuomo-esque horn-rims.
