Lifesperience

As I waited anxiously this week for 8bitdo's retro receiver to arrive, I looked over at my old wireless solution for the NES; The Acclaim Wireless Nes Infrared Controller .  The old controller still works decades later, but is hampered down by its infrared technology.  The range is limited to a few feet, and even worse, line of sight between the controller and its huge sensor is a must for it to work at all. 8bitdo has answered the call with its Retro Receiver  adapter.  This modern take on wireless uses modern bluetooth technology.  The adapter itself is about the size of the average adult thumb, and powered directly from the NES port itself.  No controllers come with the $20 adapter, but it does work with all of 8bitdo's controllers and joysticks in addition to the Wiimote, Wii U pro controller, PS3, & PS4 controllers.  The contents of the box are sparse, and only contain the adapter, a usb cable for connecting to your PC/Mac, and what...

The Moto 360 is easily the most attractive smartwatch in the current market.  Not only does it look and feel the most like an actual watch in comparison to its competition, but its design is simple, elegant, and beautiful.   From the stainless steel case, to the Horween leather band, and even the fancy packaging, this "watch" is the most impressive, and comfortable device that I've ever worn on my wrist. Left: ipod Nano - Middle: Moto 360 - Right - Accutime standard Watch In terms of size, the Moto 360 is comparable in size to many standard watches.   Next to my normal watch, its just slightly thicker, and actually feels lighter.  It's very close in size to Apple's ipod nano, but with a much bigger screen.  Speaking of that display, it's a 1.45" 320 x 290 backlit LCD display with a ppi of 205, and covered with Corning Gorilla glass 3.  The weight is a very light 49g, and itls rated at ip67 for water resistance.  It will survive the rain, ...

Over the last year, there has been a push my manufacturers to popularize wearable electronics.  Samsung, Sony, Pebble, Qualcomm, etc have at some point over the last year introduced some type of smart watch.  Today, Google finally threw its hat into the ring with Android Wear, a version of Android made specifically for wearable electronics.  Centered around the excellent "Google Now" experience, it should do for watches what android 3.0 and up did for tablets by creating an experience specifically for the devices. The video gives a summary of what is to be expected from the upcoming Android Wear : Frankly, I have yet to own a smart watch, instead using my sixth generation ipod nano to play that role for me.  All of the current offerings from manufacturers suffer from either half baked operating systems, terrible battery life, or just ugly design. The Moto 360 (pictured at the beginning of the article) looks incredible and from the demo looks slick and ...

With manufacturers working overtime to pump out wearable electronics, do you feel that they are worth your time and money? For the last 2+ years, I have used my trusty ipod nano with various wristbands depending on what I'm doing.  I also have a Bluetooth adapter which works great with my wireless headphones or the car.  With 8GB of storage, long battery life, and it's diminutive size (even with the Bluetooth adapter) I find that the Nano still suits my needs. Samsung Gear Fit Samsung Gear 2 That said, this year, the Samsung Gear Fit has piqued my interest.  While pricing has yet to be determined, it finally looks like Samsung may be on the right track for wearable electronics.  The original Gear watch was clunky, expensive, and way too expensive for its limited functionality.  The Gear 2 has made some progress to make the watch itself more useful, but without a price announcement, it will probably be too expensive for its functionality and ...