Author: Travis Houser

UNLOVED has the classic feel of an old-style run and gun series of first-person shooters. “Remember the good old days?” is a common, but powerful phrase. Starting a conversation with these words can lead to a whirlwind night of old-school revelry and revitalized camaraderie. It can turn a group of wizened gentlefolk into a swing-dancing set of flappers and greasers. It might transform a pair of college graduates into their past grade-school selves as they reach back into a video game collection that has never strayed far from their memory.  No matter the context, and no matter the base materials,…

A decent mouse that works well but doesn’t bring anything new to the table The XSoul Gaming mouse has some of the visual charms of a more expensive mouse, but without an extraordinary price tag.  A long braided cable seems to be the standard for most mice that are branded as “gaming” hardware, and I agree with this standard.  Braided cables tend to have less friction when bundled up which helps avoid tangles. This mouse is designed with a “floating-assembly” or “exposed mechanics” look that brings to mind some of the more expensive Corsair Sabre or Mad Catz R.A.T series…

Makes a lot of promises without anything to back them up. (I’ve been putting this one off for a long time mainly because I felt like I was being unfair to the manufacturer, but the show must go on.) I love the idea of an internet enabled camera that I can use for security and communication while I am away from home. Despite the manufacturer name including the very word “idea”, this camera doesn’t amount to much more than a flawed concept. During my initial handling, the camera popped out of the mounting and fell to the floor. This was…

The Kolibree Smart Toothbrush is an excellent way to add a nice gaming element to your daily dental regimen. The centerpiece of the Kolibree Smart Brush System is that the Bluetooth-enabled brush interacts with several mobile gaming apps. Each of the three compatible applications is designed around the same idea: follow the displayed brushing pattern for a certain amount of time. Points are awarded for accuracy and these points usually, factor into a badge/achievement system that drives a player to look forward to the next session. It is a very effective way to encourage more enthusiasm for proper brushing. Rabbids…

Don’t let the price fool you, these gaming headphones exceed expectations Let’s get right to the details: When looking at a few of the other features of these gaming headphones, it appears that the manufacturer has built this headset to hold true to design points that are common in many other headsets. First, the ear cups are attached to a pretty standard padded headband. When it comes to form-factor, I prefer over-the-ear cups as they typically form a seal that helps to muffle external sound. These ear cups forego any type of shaped or molded elliptical design. Instead, they are…

Despite some quirks, this drive offers cluttered phones a welcome taste of freedom. UPDATE FROM AUTHOR (9/1/2016): Reader feedback on this review has prompted MacSources to investigate a potential malfunction. We have reached out to the manufacturer for comment. The reported behavior was not present during the review period, but at this time, we are asking any reader interested in this product to operate the device with caution.  For now, only use the app provided at this link: (WitStick version link).  Use of any other application may cause the device to lose the ability to be recognized when connected to…

Mother Nature meets Omaha Beach in this humorous endless defense game A bolt of plasma lanced across the battlefield. In the space of a moment, two bumblebees fell to the ground and came to rest in a smoldering heap. “Fizz! Buzz!”, screamed General Turtale. The tortoise’s impassioned cry was cut short by a torrent of gunfire. As his newly-reinforced armor absorbed shell after shell, it began to buckle and creak. Turtale closed his eyes and swore a swift oath. The enemy would pay dearly for this. Sensing a shift in the General’s emotion, a small mouse began to spin several…

Prepare to wear out your touchscreen in this simple tap-to-flap game. Although I grew up on the many Tiger LCD pocket games and the original release of the Nintendo Game Boy, I still remember being amazed at how captivating playing a game like Snake or Space Impact on a then-amazing Nokia phone could be.  It was impressive how a tiny phone could deliver a full entertainment with only a simple dot-matrix monochrome screen.  Ever since those very early titles, of course, mobile gaming has grown much more elaborate.  Tiny screens now house titles like Gameloft’s Modern Combat series or FDG…

Radiation Island iOS – Not a paradise vacation, but a hell of a ride anyway. This game puts the player in the shoes of a shipwrecked survivor previously caught up in an experiment gone wrong. Viewed from a primarily first-person perspective, the player experiences conflicts with natural and un-natural wildlife all while gaining clues to the bigger mystery surrounding the experiment. Survivors will need to scavenge supplies, find shelter, and eventually fight back in order to journey to the center of the island’s testing site. During my first journey into the game, I found myself on some kind of American-looking ship.…

The Game Quantum – iOS: Find risk and reward in this positively charming strategy title Quantum is a two-player strategy game that uses elements of zone control and chain reaction. The object of the game is to eliminate all of the enemy nuclei from the board. Players take turns placing electrons on a game board, one by one. Careful placement of electrons will either create new nuclei on the board or add electrons to an existing nucleus. Each nucleus can only hold so many electrons depending on its position on the board. Once a nucleus reaches this critical number, the next…

iOgrapher iPhone video case- the iOgrapher allows any user to turn their phone into an audio/video recording powerhouse. Unlike many other cases that are designed to protect or charge a device, the iOgrapher is a plastic case that supports and increases the multimedia capabilities of your smartphone.  This case also allows a remarkable amount of flexibility in regard to accessories. This plastic case has several different connection options that allow the phone to further act as a professional capture device. There are mounting threads to allow the iOgrapher to be mounted in a portrait or landscape format. Two cavities along…

Soarpop 15.6Inch Laptop Backpack is a strong argument that function IS fashion. I never gave backpacks much thought after high school. My early employment involved very little technical equipment and even less need for textbooks. The largest amount of wearable storage I needed back then was a Game Boy Advance carrying case which I, somewhat regrettably, wore on my belt.  (Don’t judge me, Mario Kart and Pokemon battles were sudden and fierce.) That all changed when I landed a job in tech support. A laptop, charger, and mobile hotspot needed more than a carrying case that was one step away from…

Sound Intone i60 Headphones – these headphones can stand up to some heavy competition and even manage to land a punch or two of their own. Headphones are fun to review. There are so many physical configurations and hardware specifications to choose from that I never know what to expect when I see a new brand name hit my review desk. The Sound Intone i60 headphones are an easy recommend. I am a fan of over-the-ear headphones so I was a little disappointed to see these headphones sporting a pair of on-ear cups, instead. Thankfully, the provided padding is yielding…

A8 (Automobile) Heads Up Display – My first impression with the HUD inspired curiosity, but continued use changed that curiosity into confusion. This unit is a neat idea marred by some really loose execution. At first, all seems well. The device box displays an idealized image of a transparent multi-colored display reflecting right off of a car windshield. Since the display is higher up toward the driver’s normal field of vision, this device might seem like one that would provide utility in any type of driving condition. After all, this is the year 2016 and digital automobile displays have been around…

Ventev USB charging hub 400: Top-notch build quality is paired with excellent charging performance. Mac Sources reviews a lot of different products involving portable power storage. Charging hubs, USB extensions, portable batteries, and many other similar accessories might seem like a collection of boring necessities. However, the best examples of this group quickly become essential accessories. With that in mind, I present the Ventev USB charginghub 400 as a charging solution worth paying attention to. I believe that the phrase “You get what you’ve paid for” is appropriate for this unit. Ventev has made sure that the purchase prince immediately feels well…

Riem 3 Mobile VR Headset good option for basic VR exploration. The tech behind the trick may have lost some of the original charm, but this headset still allows a good look at the basic results of virtual reality applications It is important to know that a headset of this type primarily owes its existence to Google Cardboard. The tech giant rolled out this application standard alongside their own headset: the eponymous Cardboard, a literal cardboard box template that, when assembled, serves as a poor man’s virtual reality headset. Right from the outset, users of the default Cardboard template found…

Drobo Storage Array – 3rd Generation, 4-bay Enclosure keeps your data safe and secure. People use technology in varied and unique ways every day. Each new hardware iteration results in sleek devices growing sleeker, fast processors becoming faster, and available storage increasing in size by incredible amounts. Counterpoint to this storage increase is the fact that nearly anyone can tell a sad story involving data loss. A user’s past data loss combined with this advance of hardware can therefore be summed up in a different way: Memories become more important. Backups matter and Drobo is the only company that you’ll…

The Thyrsus has a collection of excellent enthusiast features and great build quality for a great price. Gaming hardware should always be fun to open and this mouse is no exception. The box explains the unique name of the mouse as the originally being the name of the staff of Dionysus, the mythological symbol of wine, revelry, and (depending on who’s telling the story) war. Tesoro’s choice of inspiration is an apt one as almost anyone who enjoys gaming can attest to the combination of camaraderie and competition created when a multiplayer game is started up. Some players may battle…

Super Circle Jump is an endless platformer that is deceptively simple and wonderfully addictive. I love my iPhone. As a modern mobile device, my magic rectangle computer is able to run applications that fit any situation. If I have a few hours of spare time (a rare event), I can open a classic role-playing or board game for an engaging solo experience. If I am on a lunch break, I usually have enough time to catch up on some asynchronous gameplay by sending a few chess moves or new lap times to opponents listed in Game Center. Super Circle Jump…

Astro Tab A10 has a great screen and newer version of Android make this tablet a pleasure to own. Ten years ago, the concept of a computing device consisting of only a keyboard-less and wire-less “magic screen” used to have connotations of heavy cost and limited utility. Since then, Tablet computing has come a long way since earlier devices like the Palm Pilot and Windows Tablet PCs. Today, mobile devices are so versatile and so varied that in many cases, an end user will not even look at a particular hardware specification when shopping for a new device. Instead of…

Alldaymall 7” Android Tablet (Model A88S), A low-cost entry into the Android ecosystem with surprising performance. “Wow!” That’s not a word that you would expect to say, let alone hear, when the topic of discussion is a cheap small-screen Android tablet. Nevertheless, my time working with Alldaymall’s A88S has been a mostly positive experience. Initially, the tablet gives the impression of decent build quality and snappy performance, but even during the first use, several issues threaten to turn away the user. This is a tablet running an older version of Google’s Android OS (Android 4.4.2 “KitKat” to be exact). There are…

In the early days of a home wireless network, the available hardware was expensive, the included software was finicky, and file transfers were slow. Modern wireless networking is nearly a complete opposite of this.

This Swellder USB Lamp is very simple. There are no power switches or brightness adjustment features. Instead, just plug the lamp into a standard USB port and the LEDs immediately light up with an impressive brightness.

In my previous review of the SoundPeats wireless earphones, I mentioned that I am not an audiophile. I can only pickup differences between the simplest formats and even then only when a particular compression artifact or distortion already plainly obvious to anyone else in the room.

Spiders get a pretty bad rap when it comes to gaming. It often seems that every other sci-fi or fantasy game seems to unleash armies of spider (or spider-like) enemies in every shape, size, and palette swap.

On first glance, I knew this was going to be a fun review. From the careful packaging to the actual connection and setup of the microphone, which was very easy due to a generously long USB cable, my first impression of the unit was that this microphone felt like a step up from the bargain-basement gooseneck models.

I bought my first messenger bag in preparation for a gaming convention in 2007. I was mortified to be seen carrying a “purse”, but I loaded up anyway and shouldered my belongings toward Seattle.

Forget about Qi or Powermat. One of the original methods of wireless charging is a technology that has been around for a while: Solar Power.

I have enjoyed playing board games. Lots of board games. I have been a part of the desperate race against time in Arkham Horror, made fragile alliances in Settlers of Catan, and of course experienced the soul-draining time vampire known as Monopoly.

Time for some full disclosure: I have not used a dedicated camera in years. There has not been a need to use one. An oft-used photography adage is “The best camera is the one you have on you.”