Google Now and Siri are often pitted against one another even though each digital assistant are designed to do slightly different things. Both can serve as an assistant of sorts, but how useful they are to you will depend on your needs. Of course, everyone has different needs, but I've found Google Now to be far and away more useful than Siri and here is why... More

Volta Sound Block • $190.00 • Volta Sound  More

Although I don't have speakers on my desk, as a digital life essential, I do always have my iPhone.I figured instead of adding more things to clutter the desktop, why not just get an add-on for something that's already there? I started on a search for attractive iPhone amplifiers, preferably ones that didn't require any batteries or cords. Here are my favorites. More

Your iPhone case has a built-in kickstand? Bo-ring. Even wallet cases are a dime a dozen these days. If you're a serious multi-tasker, perhaps you'd like a multifunction case for your phone – one that really pulls its weight and does double duty as, well, something else. More

AmazonBasics USB to Lightning Compatible Cable • $14.99 • Amazon.com A colleague of mine put out a call yesterday asking friends via Facebook where to find a reliable and cheaper alternative to Apple's Lightning Cable. At $20 each, replacing all those older USB charging and sync cables can add up (one for the office, one for the car, one for travel, etc). AmazonBasics have been a great source for cheaper alternatives for a myriad of tech accessories, and their Lightning Cable is yet another example, at $5 cheaper and Apple-approved. The only tradeoff really is you'll have to live with a black cable versus Apple's white version, but otherwise these are the exact same thing and now I can build up yet another collection of cables to tangle up my life! More

As much as I miss my chicken scratch handwritten notes, I now find it easier to use my computer and mobile devices to review my work anywhere via cloud services and apps. Where I work is now "anywhere" and "everywhere"! Here are a few I've used over the last several years that work quite well. More

A friend of mine recently lost his iPhone (again) due to those darn so-skinny-they're-unintentionally-birth-control jeans. I said he had a few options: 1) buy some pants with actual pockets that can accommodate something larger than half a Tic-Tac, 2) start carrying a murse (man+purse), or 3) consider adding some sort of leash/strap so he could secure his very expensive device around his belt loops. Since I know he's fashionably inclined and isn't giving up his butthugger pants any time soon, I'm pointing him toward this solution from Japan...

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Chris Johnson is one of those early adopters who will wait in line for hours for a new tech gadget. His web store, BiteMyApple, is geared toward other early adopters by making Kickstarter funded tech gadgets easily available. 

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• Photojojo University
• $5.00
• Photojojo

A smartphone camera doth not a photographer make (and surprisingly vice versa). As anyone's Facebook, Instagram, or any social network reveals, we're all taking more photos, and probably with our smartphones. But many of us don't know the ins and outs of maximizing what an iPhone, Galaxy S3, Lumia 920 or any other phone equipped with a camera can do. Thus, I've gone back to school and have been taking these bite-sized courses, sent to my inbox with tips galore and mini-assignments (today's tip: to use developed film, thin fabric, or sunglasses as a DIY filter). "Students" then share their class assignments via Instagram using #PJUniversity. This is distance learning with homework I don't mind doing. More

Did you know Seattle played a big part in the careers of then up and coming jazz musicians, Ray Charles and Quincy Jones? And, many of us can still smell the teen spirit wafting from the epicenter of grunge bands of the 90's. The Emerald City is a musical town with a rich cultural history, amazing coffee culture, vibrant tech industry, and home to many museums, conventions, and festivals. So if you're interested in taking a trip up the Space Needle, catching a Mariners game, or setting it as the starting point of a Pacific Northwest adventure, here are some apps for your next Seattle vacation... More