Gear Diary

Palm’s Hail Mary Pass May Not Keep Them In The Game – A GearChat

Dan Cohen — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:12:15 +0000

It started out as a quick joke yesterday morning. I had seen Engadget’s post that the Palm Pre could be had for just $80. Coming so soon after the release of the Pixi (and its discounted price), it struck me that with such rapid and steep discounts the writing is more clearly on the wall than ever.

So I sent around this image…

It got the team talking.

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Amy Zunk, Carly Zektzer, Clinton Fitch, Dan Cohen, Doug Moran, Joel McLaughlin, Judie Lipsett, Mark Chinsky

Review: Coghlan’s Magnesium Firestarter

Joel McLaughlin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:11:23 +0000

I really liked the Flint Striker from Coghlan’s I reviewed in September. It works really well but sometimes you need a little more. The Magnesium Firestarter from Coghlan’s not only gets the spark you need, but also provides you some tinder that burns a little hotter than dryer lint. … [visit site to read more]

Tags: Camping and Outdoor Gear, Joel McLaughlin, Offbeat

Seagate FreeAgent Go – Review

Dan Cohen — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:00:33 +0000

More and more of our digital lives is left sitting on our computers. As a result we need a better way to access it. Seagate has that covered with a system that is not only simple to use but simple to set up as well. It consists of three parts. The first is Seagate’s FreeAgent Go portable hard drive. (You can use any USB hard drive but the system is designed for the FreeAgent Go). The second is the FreeAgent DockStar that incorporates a PogoPlug for anywhere access to your data. The third, if you are an iPhone or iPod touch user, is the PogoPlug iPhone app. The three work seamlessly to let you access all your content no matter where you are. So long as you have a data connection, that is.

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Cloud Computing, Dan Cohen, Memory Devices, Reviews

Review: Bolt Bags Netbook Cases

Joel McLaughlin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:11:05 +0000

Netbooks are tiny. Finding a stylish netbook case is difficult. You can generally find sleeves and some smaller bags but sleeves generally fit your netbook a bit tight to fit the power cord too. If you want a mouse or a few other accessories, you can forget taking just a sleeve. Bolt Bags aims to change this with their new netbook line. … [visit site to read more]

Tags: Joel McLaughlin, Laptop Bags, Netbook Gear

Mophie Juice Pack Air gets new color

Larry Greenberg — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:00:12 +0000

If there’s one thing the Gear Diary editors have in common it’s their love for the Mophie Juice Pack Air. At a recent get together in NYC Dan took notice that of all the gadget items the group had with them the Juice Pack Air was the one constant among them.

The Juice Pack Air, which had previously been available in … [visit site to read more]

Tags: Apple iPhone and Touch Gear, Larry Greenberg

Tech Encounter of a Familiar Kind – aka Tech That Makes You Go “Hmmmmm”

Dan Cohen — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:10:41 +0000

I spent a year during college living abroad. There were four phones to which we had access and they were in a bomb shelter in the building’s basement. If we wanted to make a call we needed to first stand in line… and wait and wait. When our turn finally came we would then hold our breath and hope the call went through. It was always hit or miss. And… tf the call did go through (“IF” not “WHEN”) it was always questionable whether or not you would be able to actually understand the person to whom you were speaking. The connection was THAT BAD.

Perhaps that was why last night’s “tech encounter of a familiar kind” made me take pause.

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Dan Cohen, Judie Lipsett, Thomas Hall

VIO – Motion Detector for Windows Mobile!

Allistair Lee — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:11:43 +0000

Have you ever thought of using your Windows Phone as a motion detector? Well, look no further! VIO, a motion detector application for Windows Mobile, is your companion. VIO uses the phone’s camera to capture and detect any motion.

The comparison is done by analyzing pictures square by square. The size of the squares can be defined from VIO, it will allow you to adapt the sensitivity as you wish. When motion is detected, VIO will do one of these 2 things:-

Send emails containing pictures to the email address you … [visit site to read more]

Related posts:
Tags: Allistair Lee, Microsoft Windows Phone (Non-Touchscreen) Software, Microsoft Windows Phone (Touchscreen) Software

Related posts

My iPhone Epiphany: Why “Perfect” is the Enemy of “Good Enough”

Thomas R. Hall — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:25:24 +0000

Most would argue that the iPhone is the best smartphone out on the market today. I have disagreed in the past, however, my perspective recently changed…

I have loved the iPhone since it first came out, but have been bothered by its lack of “advanced features”. You know the list of complaints. No copy and paste (until recently). No multitasking (still). No MMS. Multitasking specifically is a big gap in the iPhone’s capabilities in my mind.

But that all seems moot to me now.

You see, I was on a trip overseas to visit my wife’s family. Her sister wanted to get an iPhone, mainly due to the buzz about it. She had never owned anything other than a feature phone, and even those were very light on features. Watching her interact with the iPhone for the first few days really changed my perception of why the iPhone’s “simplistic” interface is one of its greatest strengths. … [visit site to read more]

Tags: Dan Cohen, iPhone, Larry Greenberg, Thomas Hall

Hardware is dead! Long live Hardware!

Carly Z — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:09:26 +0000

(image courtesy of apple.com)

Yesterday Businessweek reported that Sony plans to open an iTunes-style store, showcasing their eBook, music and movie libraries. While certainly newsworthy all by itself, this news marks something bigger that is changing in technology today; hardware doesn’t matter anymore. … [visit site to read more]

Tags: Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble nook, Books and eBooks, Carly Z, Digital Music, Movies and Streaming Video, Sony

Zagg Skins now ready to order

Larry Greenberg — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:25:17 +0000

Most of you are probably familiar with Zagg and their uber-popular protective skin called the “Invisible Shield”. Dan reviewed one for the iPhone here.

I for one have really been looking forward to the release of the company’s new product, Zagg Skins and today’s the day.

Zagg Skins combine the … [visit site to read more]

Tags: Apple iPhone and Touch Gear, BlackBerry Gear, Larry Greenberg, Palm Device Accesories

Light Keeper Pro: Fiat Lux, Baby!

Douglas Moran — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:12:25 +0000

^{(Any resemblance to author purely coincidental)}

Just yesterday, I was staring at the lights that are draped all over my rooftop, twirled around my trees and, depressingly, dragging on the ground, and thinking to myself, “Self, I just know those strings of lights don’t work.” A few bulbs are probably busted, and so the whole thing won’t work. That’s the way it is with strings o’ lights, yeah?

Well, a group of friendly midWesterners got sick of that problem and decided to do something about it. And so they came up with a product to actually fix those strings of lights, called it LightKeeper Pro, and now you can buy it and fix your strings of lights.

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Doug Moran, Home Tech, Miscellaneous Gear

Tweet and Retweet- via SMS

Amy Zunk — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:00:24 +0000

It looks like Twitter has finally finished rolling out it Retweet functionally to everyone. But did you know you could do this vis SMS?

If you send “RT USERNAME” to 40404 (at least in the U.S.) it will automatically retweet the last tweet of whatever username you entered has sent to Twitter. Not too shabby, especially for those of us with unlimited texting capabilities.

Thanks Tech Crunch for the … [visit site to read more]

Tags: Amy Zunk, Social Networking, Twitter

Intel Announces a Reader for the Blind

Carly Z — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:34:51 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Last week, the big news was that several universities decided not to support the Kindle (or similar e-readers, presumably) because they are not accessible or friendly to blind and visually impaired students. Intel has stepped up this week though with an innovative device to help those with visual impairments read and hear the written word easier! … [visit site to read more]

Tags: Accessibility, Books and eBooks, Carly Z

Game System Review: PSP Go! … or PSP No Go?

Michael Anderson — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:33:42 +0000

Sony has seen no end of bad press since just after they confirmed the early leak of the PSP Go. There was the lack of a second analog stick, the high price, the lack of clarity on what happened to UMD libraries, the price, and so on. But now the system has been released, and I’ve had it in my hands for several weeks and been able to evaluate the reality of things compared to the hype. So how does it measure up? Read on and find out.

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Games & Gaming, Gaming Devices, Michael Anderson, Reviews, Sony

Some publishers giving up on Android…It’s just not profitable

Mark Chinsky — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:05:08 +0000

It’s hard enough for developers to build apps and make money with the iPhone due to very low prices that the fierce competition has caused. A large percentage of apps cost 99 cents, and 20% of that goes to Apple.

The saving grace is the huge number of iPhones in the market and the fairly well organized and promoted App Store.

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Android Devices, Android Software, Mark Chinsky, Mobile Phones

The enTourage eDGe Interactive Dualbook wants to be your eReader, Netbook Computer and Notepad

Judie Lipsett — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:35:25 +0000

If the idea of carrying a pad of paper, an eBook reader, and a netbook sounds like two too many things to carry, then you might be the target audience for the Android based enTourage eDGe.

The enTourage eDGe is a dual-screen, WiFi-enabled device that has optional access to 3G networks for fast and easy data transfers. The left side of the enTourage eDGe features a 9.7” diagonal e-paper display, serving as an e-reader or notebook that comes with many built-in applications. The enTourage eDGe allows users to read e-books in PDF and EPUB format and take notes or draw diagrams for easy storing on the device while they are top-of-mind, such as during a class or meeting.

…

The right side of the enTourage eDGe is a 10.1” LCD screen equipped with a touch screen interface to easily browse email, surf the Internet, watch movies or listen to MP3s. The enTourage eDGe supports Bluetooth® keyboards so users can conveniently type notes, emails and IMs. These two unique screens also work together to help individuals access information faster. For example, a user can highlight a word from the e-paper screen, and drag it to a Web browser on the LCD screen to search for definitions, images and so forth. For increased access to documents, users can choose between email attachments, USB drives, direct PC drag and drop or web page download for moving files on and off the device.

The eDGe looks interesting, and I think it’s smart that enTourage already has an eBook store in place — albeit with a limited selection of current titles and steeper prices compared to the Amazon Kindle and the nook stores; time will tell if the prices get any more competitive. Of course, there are plenty of free ePub and PDF books available online as well.

The enTourage eDGe will be available in February 2010 for $490. Colors available will include piano black, midnight blue, ruby red, glacier white, and ice blue.

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Android Devices, Announcements & News, Books and eBooks, eReaders, Judie Lipsett, Netbooks

First Post-Release DLC for Dragons Age: Origins (PC / X360 / PS3) Announced!

Michael Anderson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:27:02 +0000

Anyone who has played at least a few hours of Dragon Age: Origins knows that over the course of the game certain areas become overrun with Darkspawn and are no longer accessible. The announcement of the first DLC since the launch of the game pretty much tells you that Ostagar is once such place. Read on for more details!

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Games & Gaming, Michael Anderson, Microsoft, PC Gaming, Sony

This iPhone App is for the Birds. No, Seriously…

Jason Reese — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:26:21 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Remember the various Audobon Nature Guides? The books that detailed every type of bird, mammal, tree, or flower? Well, the Audobon Society has went and gone mobile. Now you can just whip out your iPhone to be one with nature. Not only can you access the most comprehensive information about the natural world right at your fingertips, you can take advantage of the the iPhone’s GPS and interactive features to make the most of your outings — and share the experience with friends and family.

The next time you go for a hike or take the kids camping, you can whip out your iPhone to drop some nature-knowledge. Since it’s coming from your iPhone, it’ll also earn the “cool” factor. Interested? Hit the jump to see more app details and the full press release.

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Apple iPhone and Touch Applications, Camping and Outdoor Gear, Jason Reese

Gear Diary Brings The Holiday Cheer…

Dan Cohen — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:09 +0000

The holidays are approaching. It will soon be time…

To trim the tree…

… [visit site to read more]

Tags: Contests & Giveaways, Dan Cohen, Judie Lipsett, Larry Greenberg

The Mega Mini Spy Camera Ultra: Smaller is Better–No, Really!

Douglas Moran — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:25:38 +0000

When it comes to video cameras, some of us here at GD are old enough to remember when they were practically the size of shoulder-mount 3/4″ tape video cameras.

(Well, some of us are old enough to remember movie film cameras that you had to wind up with a key, but I digress.)

But we are in the 32-Gigabites-in-your-phone era, and so digital video cameras have been shrinking and shrinking. While they’re not quite the size of hiding them in your shirt-buttons yet, Brickhouse Security has taken the idea a long way in that direction with their new Mega Mini Spy Camera Ultra.

… [visit site to read more]

Related posts:
Review: Flip Video Ultra — A Pocket Video Camera For The Rest Of Us
You’re gonna Flip over the new Mino from Pure Digital Technologies
Tags: Audio Visual Gear, Deals, Digital Cameras and Video Recorders

Related posts

Panasonic VIERA 32-inch LCD HDTV w/ iPod Dock – $359.99 (0)

A “Tech” Family Moment (3)

Nintendo Wii Console + Wii Fit Plus + $50 Gift Card – GearDeal (2)

Save $100 On The ioSafe 1.5TB Fireproof/Waterproof USB 2.0 Hard Drive (0)

Get a Wii Fit Package for $50 Off from Amazon, if you know how… (0)