Reviews

Popular security utilities for OS X put to the test

Even though the prevalence of threats for the Mac remains relatively minimal, malware on OS X has raised its ugly head a bit in the past few years. Some in the Mac community have been affected by threats such as the Flashback malware, DNSChanger, and the MacDefender Trojan, among others. As a result, while the most effective way of keeping a Mac secure is to follow safe browsing and computing practices, you may also be considering using anti-malware utilities. But which ones perform best?

Recently, Mac security analyst Thomas Reed attempted to tackle this question in part by putting a … Read more

The overachieving TR-1D subwoofer from Gallo Acoustics

I'm not a big fan of really small subwoofers. Not that the little ones can't make deep bass -- the best of today's mini subs can deliver lots of low-end oomph, but the quality of the bass won't be anything to write home about. The bass is usually sloppy and poorly defined, so individual bass notes blur together. That's not such a big problem when reproducing the sound of explosions and special effects, but most small subs are less adept with music.

The Anthony Gallo Acoustics TR-1D ($599) sub is fairly small, but still handles … Read more

Oppo BDP-105: Not your average Blu-ray player

Even by Oppo's high standards the BDP-105 is an extraordinary Blu-ray player. Sure, it's loaded with up-to-the-second features -- 4K upscaling, 2D-to-3D conversion, and a high-quality USB 2.0 digital-to-analog converter -- but what really makes the Oppo special is the sound. Pop the cover and look inside and you'll see why. Most of the 17-pound component's chassis space is devoted to the audio circuitry. That's nice, but the audio advantages will be completely irrelevant if you connect the BDP-105 to your receiver with a HDMI cable (the digital-to-analog conversion would then be handled in … Read more

Who ya gonna call? Try Ghostbusters for iOS

There's not much to explain the timing behind Beeline Interactive's new Ghostbusters game for iOS. It's not like there's a new movie coming out, nor even a Blu-ray or 3D re-release of the original.

But here it is all the same, a cartoony but complex resource-management sim that's reminiscent of other freemium games like Men in Black 3 and The Simpsons. If you're into that sort of thing, I'd say you're in for a treat.

The new Ghostbusters (not to be confused with Ghostbusters: Paranormal Blast, an augmented-reality action game) tasks you … Read more

Mix up your workout with Obstacles XRT for iOS

Top reasons you skipped your workout today:

It was too dark or cold outside to run. Your hotel didn't have a fitness center. You're sick to death of the treadmill. You let that pricey gym membership expire.

Here's an easy fix for these and other excuses: Obstacles XRT, which bills itself as "extreme reality training" -- a fancy way of saying it's a fitness app. It normally sells for $4.99, but from now through January 31, you can grab it for $1.99.

Two bucks very well spent, in my humble opinion. Obstacles … Read more

Wowed by the Woo WA7 headphone amplifier

The Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies is one of the most beautiful audio products I've ever used. For my money it approaches a level of design grace comparable to that of Apple products. The 5-inch cube headphone amplifier has two vacuum tubes protected by a thick glass cover. The WA7 also has a built-in 32-bit/192kHz USB digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and lots of custom-made parts, including dedicated nickel alloy output transformers. There's a 6.3mm jack for home-style headphones, and a 3.5mm jack for portable ones. That's noteworthy, as few headphone amps have both jack sizes. The … Read more

Recalibrate your expectations of how good an in-ear headphone can sound

I've been listening to Jerry Harvey's custom-molded in-ear headphones for years. The very first one, the UE10, was a game changer; in 2006 it was the best sounding in-ear headphone I'd heard. Now with his new Freqphase JH13 and JH16 in-ears, Harvey's done it again. The performance gains in clarity, detail, resolution, and stereo imaging are huge -- the adrenaline-pumping sound of the music you love over a set of Harvey's headphones can't be matched by any other in-ear 'phones.

Years before he made headphones, Harvey mixed stage monitor sound for Kiss, Van Halen, … Read more

A headphone amp and USB digital-to-analog converter for just $99 each

Schiit Audio's very first product, the Asgard headphone amplifier, left me shaken and stirred back in 2010. It sold for $249, looked and sounded amazing, and to top things off, it was made in the U.S. -- not just assembled here. Most of the Asgard's parts are sourced from U.S. companies.

The Asgard is still in company's product line, and it's still $249. But Schiit has grown since then, and now offers a full line of more expensive headphone amps and USB digital-to-analog converters (DACs) -- which is great. But the company's most recent offerings sell for just $99 each! The Magni headphone amp and the Modi DAC are also made in America, and they sound spectacular. … Read more

Nvidia Shield: 1.9GHz Tegra 4 portable Android gaming console coming in June for $349

After months of anticipation since its debut at CES 2013, the Nvidia Shield (no longer known as "Project Shield") now has an official release date and price. The portable Android-based gaming system with a built-in 5-inch screen will ship in June for a price of $349.

The device is available for preorder starting today, Tuesday, May 14, for those who signed up (by clicking "Notify Me" here) to receive Shield updates from Nvidia. The general public can preorder Shield on Monday, May 20.

Final specs, fight! Final specs for the Shield look like about what you'… Read more