The Fujifilm Instax 25 is not the type of camera you may be used to seeing.  The Instax takes a page out of the old Polaroid instant cameras’ book which would print a photo right after you took it and you would be able to see them develop right before your eyes.

In the age where everything is digital, odds are that majority of the pictures you take end up on a computer somewhere and you are never able to really look at your photos and enjoy the memories.  With the Instax, you’re able to take pictures and have them instantly in your hand.  The photos that come out are credit card sized and sort of remind me of the photo booths in malls that take a series of pictures and then print them out for you.  It has a mirror next to the lens that makes taking self portraits easy, but it doesn’t have all the settings that you can find on a digital camera.  It also doesn’t have a zoom, so it’s made to be used for close shots.  This lack of features can be good if you want something that is straightforward and provides instant gratification, but is definitely not for everyone.

The Instax is very fun to use, but it can be expensive.  Film cartridges run anywhere from $14-$20 and are good for 20 photos.  If you have ever used or owned an old Polaroid however and miss that feeling of instantly having a photo in your hand, you will not be disappointed with the Instax.

Grab yours now:
Fujifilm.com
Amazon.com: $83.95

This review and many more brought to you by TechiTeens Technology Services. See more reviews on our website: www.TechiTeens.com

The Kindle Fire is one of the lowest priced tablets currently on the market, but when you’re going up against the iPad and the various Android tablets; you need a lot more than a low price to satisfy consumers.  Amazon offers this with several feature and services that give users a fairly good experience with the Fire.

Using the Kindle is very similar to using any other tablet on the market.  The screen is sharp and responsive with its only downside being that at 7 inches, it is much smaller than the competition.   This will slightly hinder your experience if you need the Fire for movies and TV shows, but it gets the job done for the occasional viewing.

With the Amazon store, the selection for apps is nowhere near the size of Apple or Android’s.  It does however provide you with most of the popular, commonly used apps such as Facebook, Pandora, etc.  However, with the Amazon store, you also get access to their large selection of e-books, music, and movies (the last two are almost as large as what iTunes offers).  If you opt to get an Amazon Prime membership at only $79 a year, you’ll have access to free streaming movies and TV shows.  If you don’t watch enough to warrant the membership fee, you can still buy and rent content a very reasonable price.

Now for some of the shortcomings of the Fire.  First, which may be a deal breaker to some, is its miniscule memory.  At only 8GB, you can’t store much on your tablet before it fills up.  Amazon tries to solve this with their Cloud service that offers 5GB of free storage, with users having to pay for any additional storage capacity.  This is great if you’re always connected to WiFi, but unfortunately this isn’t the case.  This brings us to my next point which is that there is no 3G option for the Kindle.  This is a major drawback if you’re frequently on the move and need access to internet all the time.  Lastly, the Fire lacks a camera so you won’t be able to use it for video chat or even the occasional picture.

For its $199 price tag, the Kindle has a lot to offer.  It will be more than enough if you want to use it mainly for e-books, web browsing, and the occasional app.  It’s great if you have a strict budget, but still want to jump on the tablet bandwagon.  However if you don’t think you’ll be able to deal with the Fire’s small memory and smaller screen then you may be better off spending the extra money for a higher end Tablet.

Grab yours now:
Amazon.com: $199.00

This review and many more brought to you by TechiTeens Technology Services. See more reviews on our website: www.TechiTeens.com

If you’re looking for a way to impress your friends at your next game night, all you need is the Duo Pop.  It gives users a new way to play games that allow for more competition and fun with friends.  The Duo Pop comes with a receiver and four buzzers.  It pairs with your iPad and once you download one of the several game apps that are compatible with it, you’ll be ready to go.

The games that you can get for the Duo Pop are great for all ages.  There’s obviously a few trivia games where players have to be the quickest to buzz in and answer correctly, but there’s also word and picture games (similar to eye spy) that are great for kids and adults.

The Duo Pop ends up being a good time for everyone.  If you have more than four people, it’s easy to put teams together even though there are only four buzzers so that everyone can be a part of the game.  It definitely brings a new twist to classic trivia.

Grab yours now:
DiscoveryBayGames.com $39.99
Amazon.com: $39.99

This review and many more brought to you by TechiTeens Technology Services. See more reviews on our website: www.TechiTeens.com

There are not that many people who enjoy the process of waking up in the morning.  Logitech tries to make that experience as enjoyable as possible with the S400i Clock Radio Dock.  With it you can choose from several different options to wake up including your favorite song off your iPod/iPhone, the radio, and even a classic alarm buzzing.

The S400i allows you to set up to two different alarms which is perfect if you’re sharing your room with roommates or spouses. It also includes sleep and snooze functions so you can listen to music before you go to sleep or catch a few extra minutes before you have to wake up. And with its backup battery, you don’t have to worry about waking up late for work if the power goes out.

The Logitech S400i can easily compliment any room.  It packs good sound and with its sleek and compact profile, it can be placed almost anywhere and still look and sound great.  The controls are easy to navigate and it also comes with a remote so you can have it placed out of the way while still being able to use it.  If you’re looking for a new dock for your room, the S400i won’t let you down.

Grab yours now:
Casio.com $84.99
Amazon.com: $67.34

This review and many more brought to you by TechiTeens Technology Services. See more reviews on our website: www.TechiTeens.com

If you ever wanted to learn to play the piano, but don’t have the time or money for lessons, Casio has come up with a solution for you.  With their LK-230 Lighted Keyboard, you have your own personal instructor who will guide you through songs.  The keyboard helps you to learn songs by breaking them down into sections and having the keys light up so you can play through each piece.  The keyboard comes loaded with 110 of these practice pieces giving you lots of variety in your learning.

Once you get comfortable with playing on the keyboard, you can start experimenting with the LK-230 other features.  It has several different sounds and rhythms that you can play along with and also offers you the option to plug in your mp3 player and play with your own songs in the background.  The keyboard even has a microphone so that you can record sounds and words for future playback.

The Casio LK-230 is great for beginners.  The lighted keys feature make learning songs easy, its only downside is that it doesn’t get you used to reading sheet music.  So if you’re looking to pick up on a new hobby, the Casio LK-230 will help you get started.

Grab yours now:
Casio.com $259.99
Amazon.com: $142.77

This review and many more brought to you by TechiTeens Technology Services. See more reviews on our website: www.TechiTeens.com

The Otterbox Defender series for the Motorola XOOM does an excellent job of keeping your tablet safe and sound in a fast paced world.  The case comes in three parts; a hard plastic shell, a silicone case, and a faceplate for traveling with the device.  Once the case is assembled, there will not be much that will be able to damage your tablet.

The plastic shell is padded on the inside and fits snuggly over your tablet so you don’t have to worry about it getting scratched from the case.  The silicone goes over the shell to help cushion it from falls and it has flaps that cover the ports so that they are still easily accessible.  It takes a little while to fit the silicone over the shell, but once it’s on, it will be very secure and won’t accidentally come off.

I liked the convenience of the faceplate.  You can put it on the front of your tablet when you’re traveling to protect the screen and then it easily goes on the back when you want to use the tablet. It also has a stand built into it with two different angles for typing and viewing, and since it is a part of the case you’ll always have it around to use.

The Defender solved all my protection worries.  The major downside I had with it was that it added quite a bit of size and weight to the tablet, especially when you use the faceplate.  In the end however the sacrifice was worth it for the sense of security it provides.

Grab yours now:
Pentax.com $89.95
Amazon.com: $53.45

This review and many more brought to you by TechiTeens Technology Services. See more reviews on our website: www.TechiTeens.com

If you love taking pictures outdoors, the Optio WG-1 GPS is the perfect camera for you.  With its durable, waterproof, cold proof, and dust resistant construction, it can go wherever you do.  It is designed to withstand falls up to 5 feet and is crush proof up to 220 pounds making it one less thing you have to worry about breaking.

My favorite part of the Optio was its waterproof feature.  You can easily take pictures under water up to 33 feet making it great for snorkeling, beaches, and pools.  Even if you are not doing a lot of swimming, you won’t have to worry about rain or accidental drops into pools.  This is great for spring break with its ability to take pictures where regular cameras can’t.

Another one of the cameras perks is its GPS function.  This would store the location of the pictures you take and provide you with the latitude and longitude where the shot was taken, or show you the location in Google Earth.  The only drawback with this is that it would suck down the battery and took a few minutes to acquire satellites.  While it was a fun feature to use, it would be best not to take advantage of it over long trips without the ability to recharge or replace your battery so you could extend its life.

Even though the Optio was 14 Megapixels, picture quality was still only average.  It did pretty well as an underwater camera, but its pictures above water in normal conditions were noting spectacular.  Pictures were sometimes dark or blurry and it only had a 5x optical zoom.  Its 720p video recording was also nothing to brag about. These drawbacks however weren’t significant enough to negate the benefits you get from its design.  If you don’t plan on taking advantage of its rugged features, it will be better to invest in a regular point and shoot camera.

With its durable construction, the WG-1 GPS is great for adventurers and people who are known to be a little clumsy.  Plus you can impress all of your friends with a few underwater shots on vacation.  It is priced at $349.95, but Pentax also offers a similar model that doesn’t include the GPS function which lowers the price by about 50 dollars.

Grab yours now:
Pentax.com $349.95
Amazon.com: $246.95

This review and many more brought to you by TechiTeens Technology Services. See more reviews on our website: www.TechiTeens.com

With just one look at the Droid RAZR, you’ll know where the phone’s name comes from.  Just like the original RAZR when it first came out, the Droid RAZR is one of the thinnest phones you can find on the market and packs quite a punch for its small profile.  When you pair it up with the Lapbook 100 on Verizon’s 4G network, the two devices compliment each other’s performance and create a better interface for emailing and browsing the internet on the go.

Around the sides of the phone, there is a power/standby button, volume button, and covered slots for a Micro SD card and SIM card.  On top is the headphone, charging, and mini HDMI jack.  Using the RAZR and reading small text online is easy and visuals are sharp with the 960 x 540 AMOLED display.  The Gorilla Glass screen also helps to prevent scratches and has very little glare.  On the back of the RAZR there is a Kevlar coating which takes the place of a battery cover.  Kevlar has a rubbery feeling, which makes the phone easy to grip.  The downside to this cover is that it is not removable so you can’t replace the battery on the phone once it runs out.  It easily lasts the day with moderate use, but heavy users will need to make sure they have a charger handy.

What Motorola gains in the thinness of the device, they sacrifice in the width of the phone.  It felt a little bulky in your hand, but could fit comfortably in a pocket with its thin profile.  The phone was also very speedy and didn’t freeze up at all during use.  Its 1.2 GHz processor handled apps and browsing with minimal stress and the big screen made watching videos easy on the eyes.

Connecting the phone to the Lapbook was a little problematic.  The cord to connect the phone seemed to be made to plug into jacks that are on the side of a phone, rather than ones on top like the RAZR’s.  This made it so that when the phone was plugged in; it wasn’t able to fit into the slot for the phone in the back of the Lapbook.  I solved this by laying the phone on the table instead, but this made moving around with the phone and computer difficult and tedious.

Using the Lapbook was very simple.  Once you plug your phone in and lift up the lid, it only took a few seconds to boot up before you were able to start working on it.  Icons at the base of the screen give you shortcuts including Firefox and the view of your phone screen.  This provided you with access to everything on your phone including apps, games, and email accounts.  It also charged your phone while it was plugged in and still had enough power to get itself through the average day.

The RAZR is definitely one of the better phones out right now.  Although pairing it with a Lapbook isn’t necessary, it does make using your phone for any sort of heavy typing or navigating easier.  It also gives you access to the internet on a computer anywhere you want without the extra cost of a WiFi tethering plan.  With both of their small sizes and powerful features, the package has enough to satisfy almost anyone.

Grab your RAZR:
Verizon.com $299.99
Amazon.com: $169.99

Grab your Lapbook:
Verizon.com $199.97
Amazon.com: $249.99

This review and many more brought to you by TechiTeens Technology Services. See more reviews on our website: www.TechiTeens.com

As a kid I loved remote controlled anything; boats, cars, and even a submarine. Still at 20 years old, I still love them. The Blue Sky from Air Hogs quickly became my next obsession.

Nothing beats the exhiliration of being behind the controls of a speedy air plane. The Blue Sky is my first take at a remote control plane and I didn’t have much faith in my abilities to control it. Air Hogs made it incredibly easy to control the plane, with a little throttle and a light throw the plane takes off.

What could be better? The plane has a built in camera for spy missions! Okay, maybe not spy missions but it is definitely awesome to reviewing footage after you crash. I flew it in Central Park (anyone see me?!) and was quickly asked to stop. But not after I accidenlty flew it into a tree, a trailor and a water foutain.

Incredibly rugged, if I wasn’t able to break it no one can. After the flight was done, I took it home to watch the videos (coming soon!). For a $70 toy, the camera took some great still shots and even better video.

Overall it’s a great toy for the beginner or expert pilot. Well built to take any punishing crash landings, the plane is NOT controlled with an IR controller making the range between plane and controller large enough to have a great time. As with most Air Hogs planes, you can charge it in the field with the controller.

With some more practice I’ll be on the government’s most watched list. Or at least get some great footage of NYC from up top!

Grab yours now:
AirHogs.com $68.00
Amazon.com: $58.99

This review and many more brought to you by TechiTeens Technology Services. See more reviews on our website: www.TechiTeens.com

You might not expect much from the Audyssey Lower East Side Media Speakers based on their looks, but once you take a listen, you notice the quality sound and deep base, something that is unexpected coming from such a small package.

The Media Speakers’ look is simple yet it still projects a smooth elegance.  From the front you see a volume/on/off knob and a headphone jack.  You’ll also notice that the speakers are compact and will easily fit on your desk or compliment any home theatre system.  They don’t require a giant subwoofer so they’re easy to set up and move around from place to place.  This makes them especially good for college kids in dorm rooms and apartments.

Listening to music and movies with the Lower East Side Media Speakers was quite fulfilling.  Not only do they provide great sound and base, despite its small package, but they can be connected with a wide range of devices with both its 3.5mm aux jack and optical connection.  You could even have two devices connected at once, one to the optical connection and the other to the 3.5mm connection, so that you wouldn’t have to switch wires all the time to change audio devices.

The Audyssey speakers ended up being very portable and easy to move to different rooms and areas with only a few wires to unplug.  They’re a little pricey for some at 200-250 dollars, but if you need a flexible speaker system to suit your needs, you can’t go wrong with the Audyssey Lower East Side Media Speakers.

Grab yours now:
Audyssey.com $249.99
Amazon.com: $199.99

This review and many more brought to you by TechiTeens Technology Services. See more reviews on our website: www.TechiTeens.com