This has to be one of the best looking Bluetooth headsets I’ve seen in a while: Plantronics is announcing their new Discover 925 headset today at CTIA, and it looks pretty slick.

Here are the details…

Look Good, Sound Better
The Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth earpiece is your essential conversation piece, blending an elegantly simple design with crisp sound quality and lightweight comfort.

Getting connected is easy with QuickPair set up for Bluetooth phones. Staying connected is effortless with the included, innovative carrying case that recharges the earpiece on the go. Your choice of self-stabilizing eartips creates a couture fit without the need for an earloop.

Hear and be heard in style with AudioIQ noise control technology that automatically enhances your caller’s voice over background noise and the exclusive Plantronics VFrame design that incorporates a microphone boom to increase your voice clarity.
•    VFrame design captures your eye as well as your voice
•    Rechargeable case keeps you in charge
•    AudioIQ noise control technology for clear calls
•    Also available in metallic and jewel tone colors
•    Enjoy    up    to    5    hours    talk    time    or    7    days    standby  from  a single charge

Specifications and lots more pictures coming up…

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“Cyber vigilantes foil gadget thief” is not quite your everyday headline regarding the ever growing cyber community.  As many people feel violated with the theft of a purse or wallet, today’s tech savvy generation feels quite the same intrusion with the loss of digital data of any kind; this is where we meet 26-year-old Philadelphian Jesse McPherson who turned the internet into his own personal Dodge City.

photo courtesy of The Sydney Morning Herald

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Have you ever had a computer die due to a bad disk or something else unidentified? All of us probably have or will. Hence the need for backing up your data or in Gear Diary’s case, our server.

Recently, my 12 inch G4 PowerBook died. Or at least I thought it did. One day I turned it on and it locked up and the disk started making those horrific noises. A sure sign of a bad disk. I tried running diagnostics on the disk and yep it was dead. I figured I would replace it and get it going again someday. Fortunately I had most of the data backed up.

photo credit

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Once again, the Gear Diary Team invites you to listen in behind the scenes, while we talk about social networking. We also invite you to continue the conversation in the comments section…

Wayne: Isn’t it about time for a post on the use of Twitter? I see Judie and Joel on there. Anyone else? I find that FriendFeed is a pretty useful tool to keep up on what people are doing. I think techmeme overhyped it a little, but I enjoy seeing in one place what people are writing about, and especially when they post photos and YouTubes.

Do you think this is a passing fad? A lot of this seems pretty “early adopterish”. I know the blogging kings are all over it — but I’m not sure if it has “legs” beyond these hardcore folks that are connected 24×7 to a computer and more open to these faddish ideas.

Will the general public put up with what to many might be an invasion of privacy? Don’t know the answer.

I’m finding that it’s almost a replacement for social bookmark sites like Digg or Delicious, since you are filtering out people who you don’t know and other spammy submissions. It’s also a great way to track favorite writers and online friends.

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I’ve been using an iPhone exclusively for just a little over a month. Do I miss Windows Mobile? No, although in the early days of using it, I missed having a full-fledged PIM manager like Pocket Informant to keep track of my calendar and tasks in one place.

But because I like to shake things up every now and then, I fired up an old smartphone over the weekend – the HTC Artemis – and decided to see if I could possibly go back to using Windows Mobile after having sucked at the teat of Apple. Read on for my findings!

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Ugobe is set to release their second software update this month for their robotic baby Pleosaur, which will make him (or her) “more animated, interactive, and expressive through a wider range of responses, motions, and sounds.”

As you’ll recall, the first update was on March 4th, and it was to “allow Pleo to be more animated, interactive, and expressive through a wider range of responses, motions, and sounds.”

I’m pretty impressed that Ugobe is cranking out their upgrades with such regularity.

Plindar has informed me that he would prefer I hurry up and do the upgrade, as he is all about expressing himself. If your Pleo is giving you the “me-too” eye, you can get your update here.

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Alison from Astraware, a woman who is always eager to offer a game-style diversion, has just forwarded news about their latest…and it is really different.

You see, it is not for Palm, Windows Mobile, iPods, or your desktop- it is their first ever release of a Symbian S60 or UIQ smartphones title. Hooray!

S60 352×416

The title is Astraware Boardgames, and it “features 8 classic boardgames including Reversi, Chess, and Backgammon, all designed with casual players and non-experts in mind.” I’ve got it loaded on Sarah’s N95, and I hope she’ll let me give it a try…eventually.

The gameplay and graphics are designed to evoke the feel of classic board games, played on wooden boards, with traditional playing pieces and satisfying piece movement. Astraware Boardgames includes Chess, Backgammon, Ludo, Checkers, Reversi, Nine Men’s Morris, Snakes and Ladders, and Tic Tac Toe.

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News from the CTIA 2008 show floor early this morning is that the Blackberry Curve is destined for Verizon during May 2008. There’s been lots of speculation and guessing as to when the Curve model would roll out to the CDMA carriers (Sprint and Verizon). This may be the first Blackberry Curve model to take advantage of higher speed EVDO (Sprint is rumored to be shipping their own Curve version on April 16, 2008) – though it almost certainly will be a Rev 0 speed versus the higher Rev A. Buyers hoping for a significantly faster web browser may want to wait for more detailed reviews. My experience with the Blackberry 8320 (T-Mobile) which runs on my 15mb WIFI connection is that the browser’s not much faster. Update: Official Verizon Press Release — also does not appear that this device sports WIFI. — pricing is $269 after $ 50 rebate – additonal $ 100 rebate available if you also sign on a voice and data plan at point of purchase – Blackberry Internet Service via Verizon is $29/mo. If you’re thinking about an unlimited plan – Sprint offers BIS plus unlimited text as part of their $99 plan  and might be a better deal.

Photo & Info: PC World & Crackberry Twitter Feed from CTIA Show Floor

Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza opens in Hartford CT on April 1, 2008. If you haven’t been to a Cirque show, you’ll be amazed by the acrobatics and unique acts. Think of Cirque du Soleil as circus for adults. There are no animal acts. Some people bring children – but the audience is primarily adult. This will be the third time that I’ve seen a Cirque show in my town. My interest started when I watched the Varekai documentary on Bravo several years ago. The first year I attended I had lousy seats. The last two years I was front and center – barely an outstretched arm’s length from the stage. I didn’t pay a scalper, or any extra fees. What’s the secret to front row Cirque du Soleil tickets? Keep reading. You’ll be surprised how easy this is.

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It’s been a scant three days since the first extensive Blackberry 9000 spy shots leaked online. This new model sports not only a high speed data connection but features a redesigned interface with updated icons. Apparently the folks at Crackberry.com worked overtime this weekend to create a theme that makes your Blackberry 83xx, 87xx and 88xx model look like the yet to be released 9000. Head to Crackberry.com where the theme’s on sale for $7.

[Ed. note: Just for fun - leave a count in the comments section of how many times the word "strap" appears in this review, and I will choose a random winner (of an equally random prize) from the correct entries on April 3rd. Update: questionfear is the winner!]

As summer is approaching, I often don’t have a handy pocket that I can stick my MP3 player into since I’m no longer wearing a coat. Sure, I can wear a shirt with a pocket on the front, but then I couldn’t wear a lot of my wardrobe since I have a plethora of polo shirts I wear to work. The StrapWrap from DLO is a handy instant pocket that you can put on any bag’s strap that you might be carrying.

Picture courtesy of DLO

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Sometimes, an item shows up in my mailbox for review that I REALLY want to work well. Maybe the description of the item just sounded so cool that I hope it lives up to the hype. Other times I’m rooting for the product because I believe in their mission and am rooting for the company to succeed. But in the end, the product has to actually work for us here at GearDiary to recommend it to you, oh gentle reader.

The Solio Solar Charger from CREDO Mobile is exactly this kind of gadget.

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I was impressed by the Sony QRIO robots in Beck’s “Hell Yes” video, but the new Akazawa PLEN has just taken robotics to a whole new level. According to AC Gears, a site that will have some to sell, his name is PLEN, “which is derived from the English word “Plain”, [as] he is highly adored for sleekness and simplicity.”

PLEN is “a limited edition and only 50 units will be made by Akazawa Japan. Further production depends on demand, making PLEN not only one of the most versatile, but also the rarest on the market.” Watch the video and then I’ll tell you how much this little guy is going to cost…

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Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of the world’s two most popular gadget blogs, Engadget and Gizmodo? In an industry where having a ten-minute scoop on a particular gadget or new technology can drive thousands of additional page views, the cut-throat competition between these two power brokers is quite extraordinary to observe, as detailed in the excellent Wired article Gear Blog Rivals Engadget and Gizmodo Turn the Competition Up to 11.

And like a couple of rival hometown newspapers, Engadget and Gizmodo have seen their competition develop into a full-blown feud, complete with charges of malfeasance and sabotage. Engadget rarely links to Gizmodo, and often it’s to ridicule the site for faulty predictions; Gizmodo’s publisher, blogging impresario Nick Denton, has accused Engadget of being “amateurish” and “gullible.” “I don’t think we are nice or decent to each other,” Lam says. “There is so much animosity, so much pettiness.”

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Here’s a neat little gadget that is sure to satisfy your need for something cool with an interesting story attached…a tritium keychain. You can find them for about $10 on DealExtreme. You might be wondering what’s so special about it; well I’m going to tell you.

See the tiny little rod in the middle of the clear plastic casing? That is tritium, which according to Wikipedia “is widely used in nuclear weapons for boosting a fission bomb or the fission primary of a thermonuclear weapon.”

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