First Impressions: Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
Two things I looked forward to: the new design, and as always, the better camera. Though I’ve only had it a few hours, it delivers on both.
Category: Gadgets
Geek Beat: Nintendo Switch & Smartphones
New hardware in the headlines for this week’s “Geek Beat” on the Hawaii News Now “Sunrise” morning show, and the big hit was the Nintendo Switch. But LG and Samsung also unveiled their heavy hitters in the premium Android smartphone ring.
Geek Beat: Honda, Polaroid & LEGO
This week, we followed the Hawaii News Now “Sunrise” morning crew out to the Waialae Country Club for the Sony Open. After some shenanigans with a hot dog, we served another mixed plate of tech news, featuring Honda’s new self-balancing motorcycle, Polaroid’s 3-D pen, and the LEGO Boost system.
Geek Beat: Black Friday Tech Shopping
Once again, we were able to join the bleary-eyed Hawaii News Now “Sunrise” morning crew on their annual pilgrimage to Honolulu’s retail hotspots for “Black Friday.” Our shopping picks included the best Android smartphone on the market, the newest portable drone, and battery packs… if you can get them shipped.
Geek Beat: Drone Showdown
With the World Drone Racing Championships taking place this weekend on the North Shore, it seemed like a good time to revisit drones. Kualoa Ranch will host pilots from 18 countries for a FPV UAV competition, while the rest of us shop for more stable airships to take great aerial photos and videos.
Geek Beat: Google Hardware Announcements
Google announced a number of new hardware releases, which we covered in the latest Geek Beat. There’s the new Pixel smartphone, a flagship device aimed at (and priced like) the iPhone, the Daydream View virtual reality headset, and the Google Home, Google’s entry into the smart home market in the wake of the surprise success of the Amazon Echo.
Geek Beat: New Apple Gear, Samsung Woes
Relying entirely on news leaks and rumors, today’s Geek Beat covers what Apple was announcing as we spoke at its September 2016 keynote. We also touch on problems with Samsung’s flagship smartphone, the Galaxy...
Civil Geeks: Ham Radio Remains Relevant in the Digital Age
As much as I love the latest and greatest technology, I appreciate the classics. After spending time with a bunch of local ham radio operators at an early Hawaii Geek Meet, my friend Burt and...
Geek Beat: Tech Toy Shopping
This morning, in a special Black Friday segment of the “Geek Beat” on the Hawaii News Now morning show, Burt Lum and I joined half of the Sunrise crew at Pearlridge (the other half was...
‘Sunny’ Solar iPhone Case Resurrected
Perhaps the third time is the charm for the makers of the Sunny solar-powered battery case for the iPhone 6. The Sunny case was teased in May, and was launched on Indiegogo in June....
Honolulu to Host Wearable Tech Workshop, Fashion Show
An internationally acclaimed “fashionable technology” designer Anouk Wipprecht is coming to Honolulu next week to lead workshops that will culminate in a Saturday fashion show. Wipprecht’s work has captured imaginations worldwide, harnessing 3-D printers, sensors,...
Newest Apple Gear Comes with Hawaii Scenery
Apple released its fourth generation Apple TV this week (we received ours yesterday), after letting its set top box languish without an update for nearly three years. It comes with all the improvements Apple...
Big Island Crowdfunder Makes Magic with Magnets
I hesitate to admit how many times I’ve dropped my iPhone on my head in bed, and people I know have actually sported bruises inflicted by falling iPads. Finding better ways to hold our space-age devices is...
Sunny Solar iPhone Case Relaunched on Kickstarter
A solar-powered charging and battery case for the iPhone 6 first announced in May re-launched its crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter yesterday. “Sunny,” described as “the only solar battery case that actually works,” hopes to...
Report: Hawaii Loves Surfer, Rainbow, Pineapple Emoji
Smartphones are exacting revenge on cranky and crusty technologists who declared, in the ’90s, that “textspeak” signaled the death of the English language, and perhaps even the decline of western civilization. At least back...
Gallery: Drones Plus Opens Honolulu Store
Dispelling any doubt that drones have gone mainstream, Honolulu is now home to a brick-and-mortar retail and service shop dedicated to the flying machines. Drones Plus Hawaii, located across the street from the Hawaii...
Global Ham Radio Event Starts Tomorrow
The biggest community outreach and emergency planning event among amateur radio operators is coming this weekend. Field Day is an educational and disaster preparedness exercise conducted by ham radio fans around the world. And in Honolulu, Field...
Geek Beat: Geeks in the Sun
Instead of our usual Wednesday morning visit to the Hawaii News Now studio, Burt and I joined the Sunrise morning crew today at their “On the Road” remote at Wet N’ Wild Hawaii. The theme...
Isle Firm Accuses Oculus of Stealing VR Tech
A Hawaii-based company this week accused Oculus Rift and its founder Palmer Luckey of building a virtual reality hardware company with information stolen from its own research and development. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, says that Ron Igra and Thomas...
Student Boosts Big Island Bus App
A Big Island teenager has helped the Big Island bus transit system take its online services to the next level. Having put Hele-on Bus schedule information on the web, Tiger Oakes (@Not_Woods) has now released a new version of...
