iPhone 5S Launch day

OK, I've had a chance to rest a bit after leaving at 2am to line up for the iPhone 5S release, and was fortunate to come away with a new phone!
As major news sites have reported, supplies are severely limited for this thing at launch, with internet sales being pushed out 7-21 days within hours of its availability.
At the AT&T store I picked again this year, supplies were very low. Silver and Gold versions, as well as the largest 64GB variants were not available at all.
New shipments should be coming in regularly from now on, but don't expect to walk into a store and find one this weekend.
So far I have been very impressed by the speed if the new A7 processor, and have had no problems with the fingerprint reader used to unlock the new phone.
Benchmark tests have been run by all of the major Tech blogs, with the most thorough testing as always done by anandtech. This phone is faster than any other phone on the market, easily blowing away the competition from the Android set, including the former leader, Samsung's international G IV.
If you already have an iPhone 5 you will notice the speed immediately, and if you are still using a 4 or 4S, run to the nearest store that has this phone in stock.

Whiskey Tonight: W.L. Weller 12yo

As I have said many times in the past, some of the greatest bourbons in the world come from the folks at Buffalo Trace, and the W.L. Weller 12yo is no exception.  Rated as a 93.5 by Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible and winner of numerous awards this is a great go to bourbon for anyones everyday drink.  

It was sent to me by the folks at Caskers, a new website offering subscription deliveries of great whiskeys, as well as access to great bottles you may have only read about, often in very limited quantities. 

Below are my tasting notes, but make sure to give this one a try if you can find it. 

New Product - Minecraft Micro-worlds

Following up on the amazing success of their first Minecraft Lego project last year, the films at Mojang have worked with Lego to release two new sets this year: The Village and The Nether.

Minecraft goods are huge, and gaining in popularity every day, so these should be a big hit if they can keep them in stock this holiday season.

Each set contains 488 pieces and instructions. The benefit of these sets is they include blocks not in the original set which will allow Minecraft pros to re-create areas of their own worlds more easily.

If your kid (or significant other) is hooked on Minecraft, snatch these up before they are gone.

Review: August Goodies Co. Box - Kids Edition

Goodies Co. started a monthly subscription service a few months ago which sends members sample (and often full-sized) packages of new snacks coming to market for review.  They have expanded that service this month with a second subscription for kids, focusing on healthy snacks. 

Most  of the snacks in this months box were gluten free, which is fine for fruit snacks but didn't work as well in the chocolate chip cookies or graham crackers.  I know kids who are allergic to wheat won't know what they are missing, but for the rest of us gluten-free cookies will always be a difficult sell. 

Now Available for Pre-Order

The premium re-release of the original D&D set just went up for pre-sale on Amazon and other retailers.  Reserve your copy today, this is sure to sell out fast.

Review: iSteve

Let me start by saying that in the first 10 minutes this movie revealed itself to be the dumbest telling of the Steve Jobs story it is possible to make.  While boasting an all-star cast( Justin Long, Jorge Garcia), the writing is attrocious, and liberties were taken with the story that will have all of geekdom up in arms.

From Wozniak being an overweight outcast who could barely talk to Steve Jobs and was constantly the third-wheel in every conversation, to Bill Gates opening MicroSoft in Palo Alto across the street from Apple there is not a historically acurate detail to be found.  While I respect the time honored tradition of parody in the american ethos, to be called a parody I think humor is required and if this is supposed to be funny it falls woefully short of it's mark.

Let's hope the world fails to recognize this movies coming

Review: Fila's Skele-toes Virtuous Running Shoes

A few years ago Vibram released a line of what they coined "Finger Shoes", lightweight minimalist shoes that allow for total freedom of movement including seperation of your toes.  They feel like you are barefoot, and people who wear them swear by them.

Enter Fila, who in 2011 released their Skele-Toes.  They successfully countered a lawsuit from Vibram by pointing out that by using their four toe "Easy Slide" design they were not in violation of Vibrams patent for "FiveFinger" articulating shoes.

Now Fila is trying to inovate again, combining the four toed "Easy Slide" design with a traditional running shoe sole.  Called the Men's Fila Skele-toes Virtuous Running Shoes, they are hoping they are the next wave of comfortable shoes.  As you can see from the pictures above it makes for a unique design.  The downside is a shoe that loses the best part of a barefoot shoe, it's light weight and barefoot feel.

I didn't mind the fit, and the extra cushion was comfortable for an extended day on my feet at my high school reunion this weekend.  However I found myself wishing I had worn my earlier model light-weight skele-toes.

Some might prefer the extra cushion and support, but I am going back to the originals.

Review: Google Chromecast

On July 24th Google held a press conference, and the world expected to see the new Nexus 7 tablet for the first time.  What no one expected was for Google to make another play for the TV and connected devices market, but that is exactly what they did with the announcement of the Chromecast.

The focus of the Chromecast is much like Apple's AirPlay with the Apple TV in that new Android apps will now have an API available to allow for video to stream to your TV.  The twist is that you can also stream video from the Chrome browser on any computer or device for which it is available, meaning every operating system and most mobile devices on the market today.

Setup was very easy.  Simply plug the Chromecast into an open HDMI port on your TV and switch to that input, then point your Chrome web browser to the setup page.  Download the Chromecast application and you will connect to the device to join it to your wi-fi network.

That is all it takes to get your Chromecast up and running.  Now any video that you can stream over the internet or even web page can be sent to your TV with the click of a button in your web browser. 

The ChromecastPackaging includes power supply, micro-usb cable, and HDMI extension if neededThe Chromecast's configuration software is dead simple to useThe amazing thing about this announcement is that it included three free months of NetFlix service (a $27 dollar value) for the $35 pricetag.  That means that this device really only costs you $9.00, an incredible bargain by anyone's standards.

Video controlled by the Netflix app on my Galaxy Note and displayed via the Chromecast

Kickstarter Project: Sound Band

A new company named Hybra Advance Technology, Inc. from Traverse City, MI has launched an interesting KickStarter project called Sound Band.  It is a wireless headset that uses sound surface technology instead of speakers for better sound without negatively impacting your ability to hear sounds around you.

They have already completed three design revisions, and are looking for funding to enter production with the fourth design, and have already reached their funding goal in one week.  This is a great project and an interesting new move in wireless portable sound.  Take a look and consider backing them!