Review

Every once in awhile I see something that brings the kid out in me – poprocks and gold rush candy, plush stuffies, and Lego are just a few of my favourite things, but nothing makes me want to gear up and get outside to play more than a power toy.   The good news is that Gio has an amazing lineup of electric scooters and electric bikes that are fun, fun, fun, for both you and your kids, and they’re now available on Bestbuy.ca. Just in time too, because spring and summer are right around the corner.

One of the cool aspects of this job is being able to try out a hotly anticipated new device before it’s officially available. What’s even cooler is when a manufacturer sends you a whole box of new gadgets to review. That was the case when I cracked open the shipment from Samsung to find the new Galaxy NotePRO 12.2, Galaxy TabPRO 8.4 and Galaxy TabPRO 10.1 tablets. You can buy all three now at Best Buy, but I had the opportunity to get to know them before they hit the shelves. While I was especially impressed by the Galaxy NotePRO 12.2 (with its massive 12.2-inch, four million pixel display), all three PRO models are likely to please Android tablet fans, and offer a solid choice for prosumers and those looking for a business-friendly option.

As good as your PC or laptop might be, you can make it even better with accessories. A wireless keyboard, a touch-enabled mouse or a set of powerful external speakers will improve your experience without having to upgrade the computer itself. And few companies can match Logitech when it comes to computer accessories —in quality, design or sheer selection of products. I recently had the opportunity to try out a trio of Logitech’s latest: the Logitech Ultrathin Touch Mouse, TK 820 Wireless Keyboard and Z600 Bluetooth speakers. Here’s what I thought of them.

It’s been a very long time since there was a South Park console game.  In fact, the newest system when the last console was game was out was Sega Dreamcast, a previous object of Cartman’s affection.  Some 15 years after South Park Rally, it’s time for the cast and crew to come back a few gaming generations and 200 episodes later.  The Stick of Truth is the first game back, courtesy of Ubisoft, and is a Role Playing Game of all things.  Featuring more fart gags and more inside jokes than perhaps any other video game I’ve ever played in my life, please come check out the review for this rather unique title.

I’m an easy to please gamer tired of all the clutter in my living room and home office.  I’m tired of having to buy a headset for my PC, XBox, Nintendo and Playstation systems because they’re only made and optimized for that specific console.  How hard would it be to have something that was all-encompassing, doesn’t break the bank and doesn’t skimp on sound quality?  Not hard at all according to Plantronics, who believe their RIG Headset is all this and more.  Click below for my review of this dynamic headset.

The EM-10 from Olympus is the third release in the popular OM-D range if mirrorless cameras.    With a bunch of great features, including a touchscreen, all presented in a really nicely designed body, the EM-10 is a great value entry-level mirrorless camera.   Today photographer Justin Morrison tells us about his hands-on experiences with the EM-10

Wireless routers are the unsung heroes of the home Wi-Fi experience. We tend to buy them, set them up, then forget about them. Yet the performance of that network isn’t just a matter of the speed you get from your ISP, it has everything to do with that wireless router. If you haven’t updated yours in a few years or you’re lucky enough to have devices using the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi spec, it may be time for an upgrade. And the Linksys AC1900 Smart Wi-Fi wireless router would be a solid choice. After replacing my own wireless router with the Linksys for a week, I came away impressed with its performance and network management tools —and I don’t even have anything that takes advantage of its 802.11ac capabilities.

There are very few game series’ I’ve enjoyed more in my lifetime of gaming than the Professor Layton one.  It always excites me to no end to get to unwrap and solve another couple hundred puzzles, and I always keep going back for more.  I don`t have to explain how excited I was to hear that the final installment of the prequel to the first trilogy is finally available and also how much I`ve been anticipating having it in my hands.  I did get it, and click below for my thoughts.

Western Digital (WD) has been around since 1970 and is one of the world’s largest hard disk drive manufacturers. I have two Western Digital external hard drives for backing up my computer and they have been great! But WD makes other devices including media streaming devices, which they have had a lot of success with. I recently had the opportunity to test out the WD TV Live Media Player, which is their third generation device so they have continually improved it. Since I already have an Apple TV and a Roku device, I was able to compare the WD TV Live to its’ competitors, and it did extremely well.

Fujifilm has just released a water-resistant camera that can work in sub-zero temperatures. It also comes with a host of new features never before seen on any of the highly rated X-Series, including a monster of an electronic viewfinder!    Today photographer Justin Morrison gives us his thoughts on Fujifilm’s latest rugged release: the X-T1.