Sonos PLAY:1 Wireless Speaker
This morning, Sonos announced its newest wireless speaker, the PLAY:1. Like the rest of their lineup, the PLAY:1 will easily integrate into any Sonos setup, and although we haven't gotten our hands on one yet, we bet it sounds great too. The main difference between the PLAY:1 and Sonos' other offerings is that it's lot more compact and affordable, making it the…
Launch Center Pro for iPhone
There are a lot of automation tools out there for the iPhone, but Launch Center Pro may be one of the easiest to set up and use. Not unlike Automator on the Mac, Launch Center Pro's interface uses easy-to-understand menus to link actions together. If you need more power, you can type or paste commands, but for many actions, it's not required.…
Deal: All 10 Star Trek Original Movies in HD are Just $50 on iTunes
Right now iTunes is having a sale: buy all ten of the original and Next Generation Star Trek movies in 1080p HD for just $50. Yes, some of these films are pretty bad, and some are pretty great, but you can't deny they're all nerdy classics. And gosh, you can barely rent them all for this price.
Griffin Papernomad Case
The new Papernomad cases by Griffin are interesting. Where most case manufacturers would recommend avoiding marks and spills, the Papernomad line is actually designed to be written on, sketched on, coffee-stained, and painted to your liking. It's essentially a blank canvas for your imagination — a lofty description for a gadget case, but fitting nonetheless. The exterior is made of a special…
Stelton Vacuum Jug
One of my favorite ways to take my coffee on-the-go is with my Contigo Autoseal Tumbler. It keeps hot drinks hot for several hours, and cold drinks cold for half the day (not that it takes me that long to drink my coffee, of course). It only holds 16oz of liquid though, so if I'm having the kind of day where I'm…
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore
I've been on a bit of a reading kick lately. First was the Shady Characters book I mentioned here the other day, then Cloud Atlas (an incredible story, in my opinion), and now I'm making my way through Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. Mr. Penumbra's tells the story about a young web designer who loses his job thanks to the recession of the…
Reconnaissance for iPhone
Reconnaissance for iPhone is a new RSS app that ties into your Feed Wrangler account. It's the first iOS app I've seen designed specifically for Feed Wrangler outside of the official app, and it looks very nice. Actually, it just pushed out a redesign yesterday, which is what you see in the screenshots above. Reconnaissance integrates a little more deeply with Feed…
GORUCK Leather Reverse Flag Patch
GORUCK is an American company that makes super-durable rucksacks (amongst other things), and they take their patriotism very seriously. All of their gear is made right here in the U.S., it's designed to meet the standards of Special Forces soldiers, and they test its durability with an insane physical challenge held in various cities across America (and which our friend Patrick Rhone…
11+ Felt Case
The 11+ Felt Case is an attractive, hand-made case designed to protect a MacBook Air or full-sized iPad, as well as a few smaller items you might keep in your bag like cables and business cards. When opened, the inner pocket can double as a mousepad. We think this is an awesome solution for "light tech" travelers. Here's a view of the…
Simplecast
These days, it feels like I'm one of the few people on the internet who hasn't yet started a podcast. Since my personal site runs on Squarespace, it would be a trivial matter to have a show hosted there, but I've never been one to put all my eggs in one basket. For example: the images are hosted off-site, my RSS feed…
Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks
If you fancy yourself an etymologist, then I'm guessing you're already an expert on the origins of many words. But what about the ampersand (&)? The pilcrow (¶)? Or even the octothorpe (#)? Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks by Keith Houston is a book that uncovers the origin stories of several punctuation marks, from common…
Featured Sponsor: MailChimp
The new generation of MailChimp adapts to your workflow, regardless of the device you're using and size of your team. A cohesive experience across desktop and mobile devices means you can create, send, and track email campaigns in any context. Check out MailChimp today. * Our thanks to MailChimp for sponsoring the RSS feed this week. Sponsorship by The Syndicate.
Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear Headphones
I wouldn't consider myself an audiophile, but I do appreciate headphones that both exude style and sound great. The Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear Headphones ($230) definitely fall into that category, taking a sort of retro look and combining it with a modern aesthetic, right down to the in-line mic/remote. These are essentially a more compact, mobile-friendly version of the larger and fancier Sennheiser…
The Tools and Toys Lightning Cable Roundup
Ask any iPhone 5 or recent iPad owner about the Lightning cable, and they'll probably still roll their eyes. While the new connector is technically superior — both smaller and easier to use — than the 30-pin Dock Connector used before it, many iOS users had tons of accessories that relied on the older technology. Then there's the price. Apple's first-party cable…
NSHipster: Obscure Topics in Cocoa & Objective-C
Mattt Thompson is the voice behind NSHipster, a weekly journal about aspects of Objective-C and Cocoa you've probably never heard of. It's an awesome resource of useful tips, with a great mix of developer-talk and humor. Thompson is taking articles from NSHipster, along with over a dozen new essays, and combining them into a book titled NSHipster: Obscure Topics in Cocoa &…
Nymi
I just stumbled across an interesting product concept called Nymi. It's essentially a wristband that authenticates you via your unique cardiac rhythm every time you put it on, and you can use it throughout the day to unlock your car, sign into your various devices, and make purchases. Of course, this assumes you live in a world full of stuff that's compatible…
Blackstone Urban Quiver
If you're the type of photographer who's always dreamed of carrying your gear like Hawkeye, then the Urban Quiver by Blackstone Bags should be right up your alley. Made of military-grade nylon and sporting a surprising amount of storage space despite its slim profile (including a dedicated smartphone pocket on the shoulder strap), the Urban Quiver is an awesome way to tote…
Around Clock by Lexon
The Around Clock ($50) is a clever little timepiece that turns itself throughout the day, using a stationary red line rather than clock hands to tell you the time. It runs on a single AA battery and is operated by a standard quartz clock. It's not exactly fancy, but it'll add a little flair to your workspace.
Pedometer++
Pedometer++ is a free new app for iPhone that should appeal to fitness-minded nerds, and it's made by none other than David Smith. It pulls data from the iPhone 5s' new M7 coprocessor – the always-running, low-power chip that measures motion data from the accelerometer, compass, and gyroscope – and as the name suggests, it uses that data to turn your iPhone…
‘Influence the World’ Poster
Sean McCabe is a very talented hand-lettering artist and designer, and sells a number of awesome prints and other goodies. My favorite of the bunch is the 'Influence the World' poster, not just because it's beautiful, but also because it's a much-needed reminder for us to strive to find our own voice rather than merely follow the crowd. I recommend hanging it…