On one of my last trips back from New York, possibly from the Galaxy S4 event, I found myself thumbing through in-flight magazines in attempt to kill off some of the 6-hour flight time I would have to endure. As I typically do on flights because I find the items hilarious, I grabbed for Skymall. For the most part, I’m looking to see how insanely expensive fake Harry Potter wands have become or if the giant stone Bigfoot has come down in price, so that I could potentially convince my better half that we need it for our yard. But on this last trip, I turned to a full-page ad that included Nest, the “Learning Thermostat.” As I had heard of the product previously and found it interesting, I snapped a picture of it, so that I would remember to look up additional info whenever I made it home. This turned out to be a brilliant move on my part because the Nest is now my favorite Android accessory, possibly of all time. 

So I’ve had the Chromebook Pixel (initial impressions) in my possession for just over three weeks now, an amount of time I’d consider to be quite substantial in terms of being able to put some final thoughts about it on paper. While my job is to review phones, tablets, apps, and their accompanying accessories for a living, this is a product that caused enough of a stir being made by Google and all, that I figured it was worth a look. With that said, I don’t typically review computers, so I’m actually going to keep this pretty short and sweet while putting together the whole thing from the Pixel itself. There won’t be a series of benchmarks or any of that ultra-technical jargon, just basic usability talk from my point of view. If you have read most of the early reviews, then I’ll just say right now that my opinions aren’t going to differ much. Let’s dive into it. 

This week, there was an overwhelming cry for us to feature BAMF’s Paradigm v3.1 for Custom ROM Friday. We touched on the original Paradigm last year, but it looks like there has been some major updating going down since then. It is based off of Android 4.2.2, and brings some killer custom features, coupled with great speeds and long battery life. What else could you ask for in a custom ROM? 

Earlier in the week, we took a look at the new Durable Wallet for the Galaxy S3 and Nexus 4 from DODOcase (Nexus 7 too, but it’s not new), two sleeve options from the San Francisco based case maker. Today, we’re looking at more traditional bookcase style cases for the Nexus 7 from DODOcase, both of which are similar to hand-made cases by Portenzo and Treegloo that we have already reviewed. This is the Hardcover, Classic and Solid. 

As you know after seeing our continued coverage of cases from the likes of Portenzo and Treegloo, we’re big fans of products that are hand-made in the U.S. The latest to enter our radar is none other than DODOcase, a company based out of San Francisco that has been around for some time in the Apple case game. Over the last year or so, they decided to enter the Android realm as well, and have produced some of the finest sustainable cases around.

This afternoon, we’re taking a look at their new Durable sleeve for the Nexus 4 and Galaxy S3, along with the matching Durable for the Nexus 7. They are very much like the classic smartphone pouch that has been around for years, however, very few can match the quality and design. 

I was recently sent over a SmartStick from FAVI Entertainment, an interesting device which brings a full blown Android experience to a TV or monitor with an HDMI port. It is powered by an A9 1GHz chip, 1GB of RAM, and comes in two size options; 4GB and 8GB. What makes the SmartStick somewhat desirable is the reasonable price tag of $50 for the 4GB option. On top of that, there is a wireless keyboard that can also be paired for an additional $40, bringing a total working unit with full controls to $90. 

Our hunt for the best Nexus 4 case continues today, as we take a look at Rearth’s Ringke Fusion. The Ringke Fusion combines both protection and a transparent back, so that you no longer have to hide the Crystal Reflection backside that the N4 is somewhat known for. I’m surprised it took accessory companies so long to come up with an option like this, so let’s see how Rearth did as the first to market. 

After using the Pebble E-paper Smartwatch for five days, I’d say I’ve spent enough time with it to give you all my final impressions. And when I say that I’ve used it for five days, I’m not kidding. This sucker has been attached to my wrist from the time I wake up until my face hits my pillow at night. I’ve tried to make it as much a part of my daily life as I would a smartphone to see if there are any real benefits to having a smartwatch. So far, I’m seeing a lot of potential here. But is potential enough?