Last week I started a new blog, The Apple Watch Watch. I was spending way too much time reading everything I could about Apple's new smartwatch. So why not channel my obsession? The Apple Watch Watch isn't a gushy fanboy... Continue reading

I'm tired of waiting for Apple to come out with its much-rumored iWatch. So I bought a Pebble at Best Buy. It's far from perfect; check out my Pebble review on CIO.com. But I like all the watch faces you... Continue reading

A backpack with interior LED lighting? That's exactly what Tumi has cooked up with its limited-edition Tumi X Vice Brief Pack, a $495 backpack in its Alpha line. The backpack design was influenced by Vice, a noted DJ, which explains... Continue reading

On my last cross-country flight, Delta forced me to check my carry-on bag at the gate. It's not going to happen again. I had two carry-on bags: a Victorinox Avolve 22 four-wheeled bag plus a Briggs & Riley backpack. A... Continue reading

A patent filing discovered by Patently Apple reveals that Apple may be developing “a killer 3D imaging camera” for still and video photography. Meanwhile, rumors about what to expect in the iPhone 5 are starting to heat up (yes, again).... Continue reading

As expected, Apple unveiled its new iPad in San Francisco on Tuesday. While the release of a new iPad was predictable, some of its features—and missing features—were surprising. Here’s a look at three eyebrow raisers. 1. The iPad’s minimalist name.... Continue reading

The late Apple CEO Steve Jobs was a vocal opponent of stylus input. And he was none too pleased with Samsung, the company with which Apple has been embroiled in various patent disputes. With apologies to a man I greatly... Continue reading

OnlineMBA.com has created an infographic that deftly summarizes the best airports, airlines, and tech devices for frequent travelers, plus tips on how to speed through security. Some of the info may be obvious to a frequent flyer. Still, the infographic... Continue reading

This week was supposed to be all about the CES 2012 product announcements. And yet, rumors about Apple's next iPad are buzzing all over the net. Here's a quick roundup of the next Apple tablet, reportedly due in March. *... Continue reading

Holiday gift dawdlers. The malls are filled with them, and the Internet is abuzz with their last-minute clicks. If you're among those still shopping for gifts and you've got mobile gadgets on your list, take a deep breath and read... Continue reading

Do you remember when airlines used to actually give bags to passengers? Neither do I. And the concept seems a bit curious. I mean, didn't you already have all your stuff packed into bags when you arrived for your flight?... Continue reading

I'm a huge fan of things that serve two or more functions, like jeeps that are also boats. And so, before my recent trip to Europe, I shopped for a small backpack for hiking and a small black 'man' bag... Continue reading

In my personal blog, "A Southerner in San Francisco," I've had some fun asking the iPhone 4S Siri questions about the South. After all, Siri technology is reportedly handled, at least in part, by Apple's new data center in North... Continue reading

Owners of the new iPhone 4S no doubt got all charged up about the improved camera, faster speed, and Siri, the virtual personal assistant with a bit of sass. Unfortunately, some of those owners aren't so charged up about the... Continue reading

Steve Jobs' death was a shock, even though his recent resignation from Apple was obviously health related. Having absorbed the shock, I've spent a lot of time reading the stories about his life and impact. Here are some of the... Continue reading

Life is a beach (at Monterosso, Italy) when you go off the grid The next time you go away for vacation, particularly if it's to an international destination, do yourself a favor: Don't check email or voicemail. At all. Zero,... Continue reading

Following up my earlier post on clothes I recommend for travelers, here is some tech I think is worth packing on vacation (as opposed to a business trip). (FYI, I don't receive freebies, payments, or commissions by mentioning any of... Continue reading

In addition to my posts here, I've started a personal blog about my life as a Southerner in San Francisco. The title: "A Southerner in San Francisco." (I put a lot of thought into that one!) It's written under my... Continue reading

For several months now, I've been planning a two-week trip in September to the U.K. and Italy. Even though I know the summer travel season is winding down, I wanted to pass along some things I've learned, or been reminded... Continue reading

Apple recently expanded its recycling program, allowing you to trade in your old iPhone and iPads in exchange for Apple gift cards at a "fair market value." But is it really a fair market value? To find out, I went... Continue reading

To paraphrase Billy Joel, the folks at Kayak might be having a little heart attack-ack-ack-ack. Google has just launched Google hotel finder. Branded an 'experiment,' hotel finder lets you search for U.S. hotels in a given city by date, location... Continue reading

The Thursday edition of the Wall Street Journal's Personal Journal section had several good tips for frequent travelers. Here are a few: * If you fly coach and prefer the aisle seat, you might want to either pay for early... Continue reading

Have you optimized the image files on your website? If not, you might want to read my new blog post, "SEO How-to Series - How (and why) to optimize for image search," at jamesamartin.com. Speaking of which, I'll be primarily posting SEO and social media tips for businesses on my new James A. Martin website. For this blog, I'll be sharing news and resources related to search engine optimization and social media. Continue reading

Since I bought my iPad 2, I have consistently received an error message that the sync didn't work because the 'required file can not be found.' It seemed like everything was syncing OK with my iMac so I didn't worry... Continue reading

Image via CrunchBase ICANN, or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, yesterday announced plans to allow the expansion of Top Level Domains (TLDs). Companies can now have brand-specific TLDs, such as .ibm if you're IBM. You can also create generic TLDs such as .sports or .seo. But will these new TLDs help with SEO? (And could I possibly have squeezed another acronym into that question?) Danny Sullivan at Search Engine Land says it won't. "It’ll just enrich some new TLD owners at the expense of brands who will now spend even more to fight cybersquatting," he writes. "Bottom... Continue reading