Last night I decided to take another look in the box that the U1010 came in, just to see if there were any goodies I was missing out on. Unlike the Shift the U1010 came with reinstall DVDs, as opposed to having a backup partition. I like the way the Shift can completely reload itself without any outside help, but having DVDs is a good idea too. Anyway, in the box I found install DVDs for both Vista Business (which came preloaded) and Windows XP Tablet Edition. Now the performance on the U1010 has been fine on Vista, but I was curious to see just how much slower Vista was than XP on the relatively slow processor.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The Macrumors web site is reporting that some users of the iPhone have suddenly discovered that AT&T WIFI access via the iPhone is free in hotspots such as Barnes & Noble and Starbucks. When attempting to access WIFI, the iPhone users are presented with a special login screen to which they enter their phone number and upon validation receive free WIFI access. This access only applies to iPhone users with an AT&T account (jailbroken phones on other carriers are not able to access free WIFI without an AT&T phone number). Link: Macrumors: AT&T Providing Free WIFI Access to iPhone Users Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Can you believe that it has been ten years since HanDBase came out? This was one of the first business tools I bought to run on my Palm, and it was also an application that I eagerly added to my Pocket PC once they crossed platforms. Modern versions of HanDBase will seamlessly sync between Palm OS, Windows Mobile (for Pocket PC and Smartphone), Symbian Series 60 and UIQ, and BlackBerry smartphones, and can be run from either a Windows or Mac computer. Pretty slick, right? So what is HanDBase and why should you care? HanDBase is a light and fast relational database manager for desktops, PDAs, and smartphones which offers data entry, searching, sorting, filtering, printing and synchronization across a wide variety of desktop computers, handheld computing devices and smartphones. With HanDBase, you can create database forms to keep track of everything and anything. If you aren’t up to creating your own personalized forms, you can also download ones that others have created from DDH Software’s extensive database repository – which currently has over 2,000 titles! That’s where the competition comes into play: To mark their 10th Anniversary, DDH is “reviving its “HanDBase Applet of the Year” contest, seeking the [...]

Holy smokes – can this be right? A color refurbished laser printer (Amazon sells the first quality version for $289.98) that includes a full set of color toner (Amazon sells the toner for $267.98) for only $149.98? PS – Sign up for the HP newsletter and they’ll instantly email you a one-time use $20 Staple’s coupon, bringing this deal down to $129.98. Shipping is free and the toner included with this is worth more than what you’ll pay for the whole machine. Link: Staples – Color HP2600N Laser – Refurb – $149.98 Link: Sign up for Newsletter – Get Instant $20 off Coupon Via: Mark Chinsky via Fatwallet.com Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Here’s a heads up that the Apple Store has refurbished 4GB ($99) and 8GB ($149) iPod Nanos in stock. These are reconditioned models, thus the $50 discount from retail prices. In the past the Apple store has sold out of these quickly – so if you’ve been contemplating an iPod Nano (Mother’s Day gift anyone?) – head on over to Apple before they sell out once again. Link: Apple Store: 4GB and 8GB iPod Nano Refurbs Via: Fatwallet.com Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Don’t you hate that new customers get the best discounts on new phones? Here’s a way to get some money for your old phone when you trade it in for a Blackberry. Blackberry Smartphones eligible for purchase in the United States include the Curve as well as 88xx series. You can trade in a wide variety of phones and PDAS. For example the Palm 755P in excellent condition fetches a trade-in value of $125 when purchasing the new Blackberry 8330. If you’ve been thinking of buying a Blackberry, and would like to trade in your old phone/PDA – check out the Blackberry Tradeup site. Interesting that since these rebates are for the purchase of your old phone… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I first saw a post regarding a concept shoe with convertible heels on Book of Joe back in 2005, and now it looks like an easier to operate variation of the same idea has actually come to pass. Say hello to CAMiLEON, a company which produces women’s shoes with heels that can adjust from a pratical walking height of 1½” to a sassy 3¼”. CAMiLEON’s heels contain “mechanisms that hold it into place for both the high heel and low heel positions and a stainless steel rod, which runs through the entire length of the heel. The portion of our heel that is stowed underneath the arch region of the shoe, when in the low heel position, is actually made out of aluminum. Additionally, every heel is coated with 6 coats of paint, resulting in a beautiful high-gloss finish. While essentially every other brand of high heel shoe attaches its heel to the shoe with nails, or nails and glue, we attach every heel with four screws.” Continue reading on Gear Diary …

CIO Magazine has a great article that provides links to six free programs for the Blackberry. Included among the freebies are: Yahoo! One Search, Tellme 2.0 with Voice, Opera Mini Web Browser, Google Mobile Updater, Tiny Twitter and Blackberry Weather Push. This is a followup article to one they did in February which spotlighted an additional 6 free Blackberry programs. Link: 6 free Blackberry Downloads You Don’t Want to Miss Link: Six (More) Free Blackberry Apps You Don’t Want to Miss Via: Howardforums Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last week I bought into the $64.95 MacUpdate promo that was offered until April 29. If you missed the deal and wanted a cheap copy of Parallels Desktop, don’t despair. I have a copy from my purchased bundle which I don’t need. If you’d like it – leave a message in the comments. I’ll give it away to one random commenter chosen on May 1 at 8pm EST. This includes the unused license key which I will email to you for your exclusive use. The software itself can be downloaded from the Parallels site. Run Windows, Linux, and more side-by-side with Mac OS X on any Intel-powered Mac, without rebooting. With Parallels’ award-winning virtualization technology, you can run Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Judie: Here’s how it all started. I got a press release from Kevin Doel regarding FlipSide, a new Windows Mobile MP3 Player which features “”Swooshing” Album Art as Part of Acclaimed Visual Interface.” FlipSide, the MP3 player from Electric Pocket that has had BlackBerry users buzzing, is now available to users of Windows Mobile devices such as the Treo 700xw, Mogul, Ace, and Blackjack. The feature that has made FlipSide such an instant hit among BlackBerry users is its iPhone-like interface that allows users to visually “swoosh” through their music quickly and easily. Navigating through music and selecting tunes is a simple process with FlipSide: scroll through the Album Covers, or flick through them using your finger on the screen, then click on the navigation button to open up a vertical list of the tracks. The spacebar is used to start, pause and skip songs, while the navigation button is used to scroll either left or right to either fast forward or rewind within a song. While FlipSide comes with the features expected of any MP3 player, the feature that gets the most buzz is the attractive user interface that makes FlipSide both visually enjoyable and very easy to use. [...]

Microsoft has stopped the SP1 Prereq Merry-Go-Round… Vista SP1 has been available for a little bit, but hasn’t hit many computers in the wild due to a problem with one of the prereq KB installs.  Two months ago, when the prereq was released, it sent some computers into an endless series of reboots.  Many users stuck in that loop were without any recourse as they watched the scenery blur as they went in circles on that merry-go-round from hell.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Fortune began the first semi-official speculation on what the widely anticipated 3G iPhone might cost when it makes it’s expected arrival mid-year. According to an article published today, they claim there will continue to be two iPhone models. One is the 8GB 3G version priced at $399. The other model will be the 16GB 3G priced at $499. Those customers who are new to AT&T, will be eligible to receive a $200 rebate so long as the phone is purchased at the AT&T store. No word on what provisions (if any) there will be for those within a contract who are upgrading a phone. This discounted new phone pricing probably spells the beginning of drastically lower resale prices for those looking… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When I wake up, one of the first things I usually do is go check my email. Sometimes my hair is a complete rat’s nest (picture a sleepy five year old), sometimes it’s piled on top of my head in a clip, and sometimes it looks nice because I actually showered and dressed first. Now imagine if your computer could tell you that you couldn’t check anything until you look “right”? I realize that isn’t quite what Toshiba is aiming to do with their new Facial Recognition Technology, but I can see where such a feature might be a good incentive to get “presentable” earlier…for me, at least. picture courtesy of ICT Nuggets Here’s how the Toshiba version will work: The TOSHIBA Face Recognition software is a technology that harnesses the Satellite’s built-in Webcam to grant or deny access by quickly referencing a database of stored digital images of a registered user’s face. This database is created during a short setup process, where a user is prompted to move their head from side-to-side and up-and-down until their face has been adequately profiled with a series of still images. The software also provides flexibility by allowing periodic image updates to ensure [...]

Image Via: Ars Technica Evernote now has an iPhone specific site for the latest beta release of their highly praised note taking software. The site – http://preview.evernote.com/iphone – supports adding and searching all notes. Prior versions of Evernote supported iPhone access via iMap or a generic mobile web site.Link: Evernote Beta – iPhone Specific Site Via: Ars Technica Review of Evernote Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When I see products like TrimWater I wonder how any of it gets sold except through slick marketing. The company, the same one that makes TrimSpa diet products, used to market this through a now expired agreement with the TrimSpa diet folks, appears to have taken …. water … added flavoring and sweetener (10 calories per drink plus 3 G sugar) – and then marketed it as TrimWater. Since when is ADDING 10 calories, 50 mg of caffeine (12 oz Diet Pepsi has 35 mg for comparison), and 3 grams of sugar (no matter how small an amount) to water – justify slapping an additional label of TRIM on a product that starts off with no calories or additives? I am not making this up – their web site reads: With that in mind, we created TrimWater. Lifestyle Beverages wants to give you the ability to drink truly healthier, without giving up the flavor you enjoy. The benefits of drinking water are well known & documented. We’re about allowing you to reap those benefits & making it taste great while doing it! Is it healthier to drink water with additives – or when dieting would just plain water do the [...]