Apple iPad

Google Wallet Takes on PayPal with Send Money Function

Remember checks? Some of us still use them on occasion. They are those paper things we have to fill out by hand and use to pay for stuff, mostly rent and maybe a birthday gift for the nephew. Just like the U.S. Postal Service is rapidly being replaced by e-mail, checks (and, in some cases, cash) are ... More >>

Eyes on Texas

North Korea Is Aiming Nukes at...Austin?

Cops Get Assist from HCC Students in Nabbing Robbery Suspect

The day after Valentine's was apparently a pretty crazy one for a pair of Houston Community College students, who also happen to be former members of the armed forces. According to a report, on Friday morning, February 15, a robbery suspect stole a laptop computer from a sleeping student and then sn ... More >>

Goodbye, George?

Strait's "The Cowboy Rides Away" tour closes out this year's rodeo.

Don't Bring Your iPad or Tablet to a Woodlands Pavilion Show

Here comes some venue news that most everybody will be able to get behind this coming summer concert season. While updating the Houston Press's online concert calendar with new listings for the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, I discovered that the venue now bans the use of iPads and other tablet ... More >>

Evernote Food 2.0 App: Your Digital Cookbook

Apple released Evernote Food last year, as an application for you to remember the food you recently ate. Rather than just snapping a quick picture of your gorgeous meal you either created at home or enjoyed at a restaurant, and vowing you would blog about it but really ended up never looking at it a ... More >>

Thieves Stealing UPS Packages: Five Things They Won't Want When They Open Them

According to a report from KHOU, neighbors in midtown caught two men stealing UPS packages and called police, who arrested them. By the looks of the video -- and knowing the area -- these were probably homeless men looking for something they could pawn. Given the time of year, it's not uncommon to h ... More >>

Louis Vuitton Obsession: Domain Seizure Reminds Us of Five Things You Shouldn't Buy Online from Random Websites

As part of the continued crackdown on counterfeit merchandise websites, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations announced in a release that it seized 89 Internet domain names last week. Of those 89, a whopping 78 were related to Louis Vuitton, the high-end handbag ... More >>

Christmas Past: 15 Odd Christmas Gift Ideas for Musicians

While we celebrate the holidays, Rocks Off is resurrecting a few of our best Christmas-themed blogs from the past few years. (Wait... resurrecting is Easter. Never mind.) This blog originally appeared November 21, 2011. As the timeless tale of the Little Drummer Boy reminds us, there is no greater ... More >>

Waze, Echofon, Chrome: My 12 Favorite Apps of 2012

It's been a crazy year in apps. Apple released the iPhone 6, complete with larger screen and new OS, as well as the iPad mini, aka Jumbo iPhone. There were scores of updates from manufacturers and, as usual, thousands of new apps on the market. I wrote about my favorite 10 apps of 2011 last year ar ... More >>

App of the Week: Dark Sky, the Most Beautiful Weather App You'll Ever Use

App: Dark Sky Platform: iPhone, iPad Website: http://www.darkskyapp.com Cost: $3.99 I am a huge weather nerd, so naturally I have a bunch of weather apps. I've reviewed quite a few and ranked them on occasion. Whenever I come across a new one that gets good reviews, I immediately take a look. Unfo ... More >>

5 Simple iPhone Apps Often Used, but Easily Taken for Granted

I recently bought an iPad and as I was going through the apps on my phone to see what I might want to download for the iPad, I noticed a number of apps that would have thumb wear marks on them if that were possible. These were small, simple apps I use often, but never really think of when it comes t ... More >>

App of the Week: Camera Awesome, the Most...Um...Awesome Photo App Ever

App: Camera Awesome Platform: iPhone, iPad Website: Awesomize.com Cost: Free I've reviewed a number of camera/photography apps in this space. It comes with being a photographer who appreciates technology. I wanted a digital SLR camera as soon as one hit the market and I enjoy shooting photos with m ... More >>

Prydz & Prejudice: Top 5 Remixes for Saturday's IDentity Festival

Saturday the IDentify Fest returns to town to once again take EDM out of the dark of the club and into the light of day. Your humble blog writer missed last year's show, so I'm curious to see how well glowsticks work during the daylight. While this year may not feature big names like Pretty Lights ... More >>

Baby Chino, World's Youngest DJ: "I Have Haters"

Austin-born Ri-yan Dolan is only eight years old -- he turns a ripe nine on August 25 -- and holds the title of the world's youngest DJ, spinning under the name DJ Baby Chino. At a time when kids half his age can operate iPads and iPhones with ease, it should be no surprise that Dolan was only five ... More >>

Hi, How Is Daniel Johnston?

Rocks Off is very proud to present Daniel Johnston's in-store performance 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Cactus Music. As always, it's absolutely free, including the St. Arnold's. Thinking about the in-store, we realized we hadn't heard much about Johnston lately, which is good in the "no news is good news" ... More >>

Life in the Cloud: The Complications and Conveniences of a Connected World

Over the last year or so, I've grown increasingly aware of and interested in the idea of life without a hard drive. My existence is, admittedly, a bit unique. I spend a lot of time on my laptop; in fact, it is my main computer. When I'm in my office, it is connected to a big monitor for convenience, ... More >>

Top 5 Most Anticipated Electric Forest Artists

Tomorrow I set off to another music festival, although this time it's the farthest north I've ever been. Michigan. Yeah, I know, I need to travel more. Rothbury, Michigan will host Electric Forest from June 28 to July 1. The festival has local philanthropic initiatives this year such as a Food D ... More >>

This Week in Food Blogs: Houston's Top 100 Restaurants?

29-95: To quote Peter Gabriel, the "big big big big big big big big big" news this week was the release of Alison Cook's top 100 restaurants in Houston. I can't imagine how monumental of a task it was to compile not only the list, but all of the write-ups that accompany each entry. The full list -- ... More >>

Bad Beef: 4 Examples Of Musical Feuds Gone Wrong

Competition is a good thing. It pushes people to work harder and be more creative. That drive to prove to the world that they're the best has lead musicians to some incredible heights. After all, competition gave us Pet Sounds and "Ether." Yet in the '10s, that competitive spirit has been pushed as ... More >>

Cover Story: The Rise of Dubstep in America and How Houston Was Involved

A couple of months ago, I received a text from a 40-something-year old man named Icey Hott. Icey, a member of Houston's near-legendary group Street Military, was a seminal figure in the development of gangster rap in the southern United States. He is an altogether terrifying gent, a glassy-eyed ma ... More >>

Cover Story: Dubstep's Rise In America & How Houston Was Involved

A couple of months ago, I received a text from a 40-something-year old man named Icey Hott. Icey, a member of Houston's near-legendary group Street Military, was a seminal figure in the development of gangster rap in the Southern United States. He is an altogether terrifying gent, a glassy-eyed ma ... More >>

App of the Week: Houston, Texas Emergency Radio

App: Houston, Texas Emergency Radio Platform: iPhone, iPad Web site: Facebook Page Cost: Free Monday night, after Kentucky had dispatched Kansas in the NCAA national championship game, there was a surge of posts on Twitter about the riots taking place in Lexington, mainly because the firefighters' ... More >>

App of the Week: Badge

App: Badge Platform: iPhone, iPad Web site: thebadgeapp.com Cost: $0.99 I think most of us have, at one time or another, left our phone behind somewhere. On occasion, that somewhere happens to be a public place. I know I have left my phone at a couple different restaurants over the years and had to ... More >>

App of the Week: iCab -- A Highly Recommended Alternative to Safari

App: iCab Platform: iPhone, iPad Website: iCab Mobile Cost: $1.99 One of the great innovations of cell phone technology is the ability to use the web on a phone in much the same way you use it on your computer. When the iPhone first emerged, Apple's Safari browser was included and it was a revelati ... More >>

iCan't: 4 Reasons Why Even the iPad 3 Won't Cause Me to Buy One

In April of last year, I wrote about whether I should buy an iPad. After a few musing paragraphs, I came to the begrudging conclusion that the iPad was likely part of my technological future. Well, it's nearly a year later and still no iPad for me. With the release of the iPad 3 tomorrow (and a prob ... More >>

SaveOnBrew.com Goes Mobile to Help You Find Deals on Beer Nearby

I'm going to start this entire post by saying something that might cause you to stop reading: I'm not a big beer drinker. In fact, I rarely drink the stuff. But, what I am is someone who buys a ton of apps for my iPhone, and this isn't really so much a story about beer as it is about a website tryin ... More >>

Unfollow: The Five Fastest Ways to Get Spammed on Twitter

Oh, I BET you want me to click that link!​Over the past week or two, I've conducted a kind of experiment to see who will spam me when I post things on Twitter. I have been baiting spammers into sending me replies to my blatant requests for information about iPads or sex. It's really kind of hi ... More >>

App of the Week: App Shopper

App: App Shopper Platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac Web site: AppShopper.com Cost: Free The iPhone may be good for many things -- most of those may be the result of cool little apps that extend its features -- but finding cool apps via the App Store is not one of them. Calling the App Store utilitarian i ... More >>

Abel Martinez: Just Another Dude Who Steals Panties and Dogs, Cops Say

Women: Your panties are safe now.​Cops say Abel Martinez was a busy guy, what with all the stealing of panties and, um, dogs. Martinez, 32, apparently made a habit of breaking into women's apartments, leaving notes like "I'm watching you," and taking their panties, according to KPRC. The sta ... More >>

Older Is Better: The Five Best Antique Malls in Houston

And the Lord said: Let Me be embroidered.​What better way to honor your living relatives than with gifts from someone else's dead relatives? Wait, no, we want you to like antique malls! Let me try again: Shopping for an older relative, who remembers the days before iPads? And Wii? And even ce ... More >>

15 Odd Christmas Gift Ideas for Musicians

​As the timeless tale of the Little Drummer Boy reminds us, there is no greater gift than the gift of music. But what about those on your Christmas list who already have plenty of music in their lives? Buying gifts for musicians is no easy task -- most of them already own the entire Rush disco ... More >>

Illegal Wiretaps: At Least Their Name Isn't Pregnancy Farts

It's a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off we're trying hard to find meaning in the oddest monikers. ​Craig Hlavaty called us into his office, which is little more than a refrigerator box with Lady Gaga lyrics scrawled on the sides and an ... More >>

Thieves Suck: How to Protect Yourself When Your Stuff Is Stolen

​Sunday evening while I was out for a jog, my car was broken into and my purse was stolen. By some miracle of paranoia, I happened to have both my cell phone and wallet with me on the run, not for fear of them getting jacked, but because I'm always worried I might get lost, or need my ID if I ... More >>

First Look at Brasserie 19

Photos by Katharine ShilcuttEnglish pea soup, lightly chilled, with lump Gulf crab meat: It's not available every day, but it should be.​On a drizzly Thursday night, the warmly glowing interior of Brasserie 19 beckoned the crowds inside its crisp white interior and onto its broad patio. The r ... More >>

Top 5 Contest Options for Houston Sports Teams

If you can keep from getting injured, you might walk away with some new kicks.​During halftime of a recent New Orleans Hornets game, a fan participated in a common giveaway contest. He had to make a layup, a free throw, a three-pointer and a shot from halfcourt under a time limit to win a priz ... More >>

App of the Week: To iPad or Not to iPad

Bring on the lions app!​As I was looking through my iPhone apps this week and potential new apps worth downloading, it struck me the number of iPad apps coming available. It's not surprising. The iPad, particularly since the release of the 2.0 version, has been nothing short of a sensation in ... More >>

Del The Funky Homosapien

Flummoxed Radiohead Fans Start Support Group

Next week will see the physical release, both vinyl and compact disc, of Radiohead's new album The King of Limbs. The album was released online a little over a month ago on the band's website to nearly universal acclaim from longtime fanatics and at least a passing reverence from fair-weather fans ... More >>

New York Times Launches Subscription Service

One wonders if they will start charging admission to enter the lobby too.​The New York Times announced the parameters of its much-anticipated digital subscription service to subscribers via e-mail. Beginning March 28 in the United States (Canada gets a ten-day head start to act as guinea pig), ... More >>

SXSW: Bob Geldof, Master Of The F-Bomb

Photos by Chris Gray​Leave it to Sir Bob Geldof to turn the SXSW keynote address into a 45-plus minute combination elaborate cultural history of the past 60 years with rock and roll at the center, personal narrative of how rock and roll ("pop with a hard-on") shook loose his inner social activ ... More >>

iPad 2: The 1971 Version

In case you hadn't heard, the iPad 2 comes out very, very soon. Geeks are already lining up. We hate to pour cold water on such a momentous event, but frankly, what's the big deal about an iPad 2? As these five examples from a 1971 Sears catalog show, it's all been done before. 5. Watch movies!! Y ... More >>

99-Cent Flat-Screen TVs: What Could Go Wrong?

No cutting....​If you've got a spare $1.07 (or is it $1.08? We're not sure if they round up or down), then you can get yourself a new flat-screen TV this St. Patrick's Day. Warning: You may have to wait in line for a while. The 99 Cents Only chain -- surely one of the best 99-cent chains out ... More >>

Openings & Closings: January 2011

​As the first month of the new year ended, restaurant openings picked up and Houston saw a busy week for new places. At long last, Philippe (1800 Post Oak Boulevard, 713-439-1000) has finally opened its doors. And lest you think the food is out of your price range, check out the bargain-price ... More >>

Yumm.com is Digg for Online Recipes

Fresh-From-The-Oven Naan: Now showing at Yumm.com.​Technology is increasingly infiltrating the kitchen. While we may not have robots making our meals like on The Jetsons (yet), all sorts of apps, websites and kitchen gadgets are providing new resources for expanding our cooking repertoire and ... More >>

Gorillaz's New Album Includes Song About Houston

​ Christmas morning, Rocks Off got to hear the new Gorillaz album, The Fall, recorded entirely on an iPad by leader Damon Albarn as the super-group made their way through the States on tour this past October. Most every city on the run got a song dedicated to it, including Texas towns Ho ... More >>

Channel 39's New TV News: Good Lord, The Help-Wanted Ad

Living on the edge, with Channel 39​The lowly rated Channel 39 newscast, as we've discussed, is switching this fall to an innovative style imposed by its owner that features no anchors and lots and lots of cutting-edge stuff.No, check that -- not cutting-edge, bleeding-edge.That's the term used in ... More >>

Twitter: The Five Most Annoying Things You Can Do

No Foursquare or proctologist visits, please​In this week's cover feature, "The Twitterverse", we dive into the world of Twitter to spotlight some of the best things going with the social networking hub, and also uncover some of the worst things permeating the site. We talked to tweeting Texans in ... More >>

The Week In TV: The Walking Dead (The New Series, Not Charlie Sheen)

​I'm slightly sunburned, spoiled by three-day weekends, and trying to figure out whether I want an iPad. This was the week in TV Land: • So, the iPad came out, as you have heard about from every news outlet imaginable, and several TV apps have already been announced. Yahoo's entertainment ... More >>

"iPad"? Really, Steve? Here We Go Again

Photo by Alexia TsotsisClick here for a slideshow of iPad photos​Steve, Steve, Steve, Sigh. Stevie - darling, sugar, baby! We hate to say it, but we've had this conversation with you before. Remember your pussy fetish and the resulting "Snow Leopard" fiasco? Cluck, cluck, cluck. So do we. ... More >>