reviews

  • March 28, 2023

    Playing with the Apple Classical Music App

    I’ve been listening to a lot more classical music lately. My wife said recently, “The older I get, the less interested I am in lyrics.”

    I wouldn’t go that far, but it is nice to have beautiful, lyric-less music on while you work or read.

    The Apple Classical Music app dropped today and I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I’m impressed with it.

    I like how it breaks the music down by genre (sub-genre I guess), composer, and mood.

    They also have “The Story of Classical,” a 9-part series where you can learn all about the genre. I’m excited to dig into that.

    One strange note1 is that it’s only available on the iPhone right now, with an Android app coming soon.

    Apple Music’s disjointed experiences continue to be a puzzler, especially when you consider how good Spotify’s overall cross-device, cross-app experience is.

    If you want a good first-look review, check out this one on Six Colors.

    1. GET IT!? ?

  • July 9, 2022

    Edison x Goldspot = Fantastic Pen (Fountain Pen Review)

    Note: This pen was provided at no charge by Goldspot Pens for this review.

    When I first got into fountain pens 10 years ago, there were a few pens on my “grail” list — pens I really wanted but couldn’t pull the trigger on. I had a Sailor and a Platinum, naturally, but Edison made a few of the pens on this list.

    As time went on, I made the other purchases ahead of anything from Edison, and well, that particular grail pen has never made it into my connection…until now. I’m happy to say that a decade-long dream has been fulfilled; I now own an Edison. Specifically the Edison x Goldspot Pens Newark Fountain Pen.

    So now the question is: can it possibly live up to my expectations? Let’s take a look.

  • November 2, 2020

    I Broke My Podcast Sponsorship Rule and There Were Consequences

    I have a confession: over the summer, I panicked a little bit. I wasn’t sure I was going to hit my podcast sponsorship goal for the year. I was short on sales, slacking a little, and you know…the whole pandemic thing. So I panicked. I reached out to a bunch of sponsors, made a couple of deals that were more beneficial to the sponsor than to me, and ended up breaking one of my biggest rules for the show. It didn’t go over well.

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  • October 18, 2018

    Rocky Patel Luxury Collection Cigars – Something for Everyone

    Note: This is a sponsored post from Holt’s Cigar Company about Rocky Patel cigars. But don’t fret. It’s also an honest post.

    I’m sitting at a beautiful resort in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico right now. This is my view:

    …and it is beautiful. But aside from the view, I’m at a conference where I’m learning a lot, enjoying the weather, and smoking cigars with friends. While I have my own preferences as a seasoned cigar smoker, I understand my tastes are not the same as everyone else’s. And they might not be the fit for a newer smoker. Luckily, the Rocky Patel brand of cigars from Holt’s Cigar Company has a little something for everyone.

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  • June 10, 2013

    My Thoughts on the Galaxy SIV

    SamsungGalaxyS411

    Since the Samsung Galaxy SIV was announced, I was pretty much waiting on baited breath for its release for Verizon customers; I was so excited I went out and picked it up the day after it was released, the soonest I could (I had actually pre-ordered it on May 18th through Amazon, but due to some issues I cancelled the order and picked it up at my local Best Buy). I really liked the form factor, features, and of-course, the amazing 13MP camera it touted. So does the phone live up to my expectations? Let’s see.

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  • April 9, 2013

    April 9th: Articles Round Up

    Since I’ve been travelling and sick for the last few weeks I haven’t really done a good job of promoting some articles I’ve written across the web. In-case you missed it, here are some of my better works!

    Redesigned USA Today is Better than Ever: I review USA Today’s latest release for Android, focusing on a new design and some really great features! (@droidappstorm)

    Manage Your Information Securely with Dashlane: Dashlane has quickly become one of my favorite apps. In this review I take a look at the Android version. (@droidappstorm)

    Do Just About Anything with Freshbooks for iPhone: I review my favorite accounting software’s new iPhone app. Spoiler: It’s pretty amazing. (@iphoneappstorm)

    Keep Tabs on New Movie Releases with eTrizzle: This interest little aggregator for Android could use some finness but has a lot of potential!  (@droidappstorm)

    Also, I’ve been tapped for a weekly spot over at Android.Appstorm, so be sure to check back there every Tuesday for my latest article!

  • December 31, 2012

    Favorites of 2012

    I’m going to be honest here. 2012 was a pretty great year for me. A lot of amazing things happened in both my personal and professional life; most publicly, I got my first book published, and I hope do the same in 2013. While I don’t have too many traditions on this blog (something I hope to change in 2013), my Favorites of the year post has been a pretty good staple.

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