I just read an interesting article on RIMarkable that reminded me about how easy it is to unlock BlackBerry devices on T-Mobile. I just purchased a BlackBerry 8900 on Amazon. Because the phone is sold with T-Mobile service – I can’t readily take another carrier’s SIM card (such as I might do if traveling overseas) unless I have my BlackBerry “unlocked” to accept another carrier’s SIM. There are generally two ways to unlock. First, search eBay and pay someone for an unlock code. These can cost $10 to $20. However the second way is to do it yourself and call T-Mobile and ask for it. I just got off the phone with T-Mobile support who verified that so long as you are outside… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Judging from the quantity of Twitter questions asking for purchasing advice on the “BlackBerry Storm vs iPhone” – it looks like plenty of people still are undecided between both these devices. While I typically have a one sentence response of “If you want email buy a BlackBerry otherwise buy an iPhone” – I realize that the analysis isn’t always so cut and dry. There’s the touchy issue of AT&T’s signal quality, the ability to capture video, ease of on-screen keyboard use, integration with iTunes. James at JKOnTheRun has done an excellent job with comparing and contrasting the iPhone and Storm. Rather than reach any ultimate conclusion, I like that he gives an explanation of how he uses each, including which he… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

For some time now, there has been a gap between PDA/phones and notebook computers, various form factors have been introduced to fill this void, but until the ASUS eeepc, none have been particularly successful.  Of course, with the Asus, we were given the device which we now know as the netbook, and finally that gap began to close. Some devices, however, started at the other end of the spectrum, trying to fill the gap up from PDA/phones.  Chief among them has been the Archos Internet Media Tablet and the iPod Touch.  Well, now we have another newcomer to this gap-filling venture: The Clarion Mind, which stands for Media Internet Navigation Device.  I’ll be honest here and say that I had never really heard of Clarion before, so I was interested to see what they would put together. … Continue reading on Gear Diary …

You can explain all you want about how Research in Motion had to switch from Mini USB to Micro USB (comparison photo here) to save space on their new BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry 8220 and BlackBerry Curve 8900. I’m not buying it. Deep down I think it’s all about selling profit-heavy doo-dads and gizmos (read accessories) at the point of purchase. Next time you’re unlucky enough to be in that vast wasteland called a cell phone store (I recommend everyone buy online and avoid the horrible retail experience) look at what the carrier’s think you should pay for a charger. Yesterday at T-Mobile they were selling charger kits for about $30 that “fit” my new BlackBerry 8900. Well, I already have… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If your car or truck doesn’t already have a built in Bluetooth connection, here’s your chance to pick one up on the cheap. Amazon has the Parrot MK6100 in the clearance bin for $65.84. Advanced features The Parrot MK6100 automatically synchronizes the names and phone numbers in your mobile with its phone book. When you receive a call, the name and the number are displayed on the screen Play your music on the kit The Parrot MK6100 is a music playing hands-free car kit: play your favourite MP3 files on the car¿s speakers from any Bluetooth Stereo (A2DP) source: mobile phone, MP3 player Unfortunately it looks like professional installation is required and some of the feedback comments make it sound as if installing this… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s been over a year since I have looked at anything from SDG Systems, but it is time to do so again.  SDG is now working with Koolu on the Openmoko Neo Freerunner.  Not only are they working with the standard Openmoko firmware, but they are also working on getting Google’s Android Operating System working on the Freerunner.  I will touch on both operating systems in this review, but first let’s look at the hardware. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the devices I have had and sold in recent years is the Fujitsu P1510. It was quite nice as a small but usable convertible tablet PC, but at over $2000 new it was PRICEY. Ultimately, I sold it while I could still recoup most of the sticker price. The other day I saw that my friend Jamie, who churns devices even more than me, was selling a mint P1610 for just $550. (Yup, prices for used gear have dropped THAT much!).  (Side note- Jamie is selling it because she just got a loaded MacBook Air. Mind you this is my friend who HATED Apple products and now owns an Air, an iPhone and an iPod Touch. No, it’s not relevant to this post but for all her Mac-hating she deserves to get called-out publicly.) Anyhow… Seeing as my HP2140 is all but brand new and Jamie takes great care of her gear (and it is rarely in her possession long enough to get damaged) I thought about swapping out my 2140 for it. Hey, it would be about the same dollar-wise and, while the 2140 is a netbook, when new, the P1610 is a $2000+ premium machine. I [...]

Let me apologize in advance for writing about Twitter. I find most articles about the service to be gratuitous and “slow news day” fodder. If Twitter’s not your thing – please skip this article as it won’t have any relevance or interest to you. There is a big issue I noticed yesterday. Several weeks ago there was a lot of buzz on the Internet which originated when several sites noticed that His Holiness the Dalai Lama had suddenly opened a Twitter account at http://www.twitter.com/ohhdl. Naturally my first reaction was skepticism, then to follow His Holiness for the opportunity of Twittering “Hello Dalai”. … Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Have you been looking for a big headset with a keypad to hang off your ear? Well today’s your lucky day. Buy.com has the Xact XG2500 Headset Cordless Phone for only $19.99 with free shipping. I can’t imagine why they’ve slashed the price on this little beauty except for … maybe it’s huge, ugly and heavy (almost .1 pounds). If price is your main criteria for purchasing a cordless headset and you don’t mind your ear is drooping to the floor while you wear it – meet the Xact XG2500… BUY Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve been enjoying using the HP 2140 Mini Note. It’s small, light, and quite easy to use thanks to its near full size keyboard. My unit came with a three cell battery which allows the unit to maintain its low profile.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

On February 18th and 19th, I was part of a group of mostly female bloggers who were brought to New York to meet Vivienne Tam and learn more about the HP / Vivienne Tam Mini Note collaboration. Our first day consisted of a whirlwind New York City tour… That night we were invited to the Vivienne Tam fashion show and cocktail party, where her Fall 2009 collection was revealed. Since I am new to the behind the scenes world of high fashion, I was a little bit surprised that what we were being shown was for Fall 2009 instead of Spring. I would later learn that it is done that way so that buyers can prepare. Here’s a video of the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

What’s over 12″ tall, plays customer authentic B-9 Robot Dialogue and dispenses candy when you tilt it’s head back. If you guessed a Lost In Space Giant Pez, you’d be right. For only $24.99 this complete waste of money can rob you of precious life hours as you flip the head back and forth and eat candy. Three 1.5 volt AA batteries provide the juice for all the “Danger Will Robinson” that you can stomach and it’s decidedly less expensive than a $24.500 full sized replica. Lost In Space Giant Pez Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have a fun game I play each night around bed time with my kids. It’s called “did you brush your teeth”? Older kids learn to rig this game pretty well with mouthwash which means you can’t trust that they’ve done a complete job just by “smelling their breath”. Along comes the 2.4 GHZ wireless toothbrush camera. There’s no wires to get tangled and the wireless means you can “inspect the teeth” anywhere. I’m not sure if you’ll ever need to use this – but just hook it to your computer once and give the kids a demonstration and I bet they fall into compliance pretty quickly. Wireless Dental Camera Continue reading on Gear Diary …

My buddy Dimitri recently had the chance to review Audioengine’s A5 speakers over on WhatsOniPhone. He loved the big sound and excellent build.  I’ve recently had a chance to take a look at the far smaller A2s; at about 1/3 the size of the A5s, the A2s are like the smaller sibling and while they don’t pack the SAME punch, they hold their own rather well. Let’s take a look… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A lot of times when you get a new phone, if it isn’t a phone that has a standard jack or a iPod dock connector like the iPhone, then you don’t have a lot of choices for using your phone to pump some tunes or listen to podcasts when in the car.  Fortunately, USB Fever has come through with this nifty FM transmitter that uses the HTC ExtUSB connector. Continue reading on Gear Diary …