About six months ago I bought the best phone that I have ever owned: a Nokia E71. Obviously this is a personal thing, since the E71 wouldn’t suit everyone’s needs or tastes, but for me it just fitted into every situation I put my phone in. It is the perfect messaging device, with it’s QWERTY thumboard that has excellent feel and feedback, it has outstanding battery life thanks to it’s enormous 1500mAh battery, it is as thin as possible without being uncomfortable to use, it has an bright, rich display, that while low on dimensions and resolution, looks absolutely great and manages to comfortably display web pages without issue. Then of course the fact that it looks so good in it’s stainless steel and chrome suit. I wouldn’t call it outrageously priced either, since you’d be hard pressed to find something as compact, full featured and with such a quality feel in the same price range. While it may be good value (in my mind anyway), it is still out of reach of many who would like the functionality on offer, but aren’t able or willing to fork out the dollars that the E71 demands. Realising this, Nokia have produced [...]

When those stick on cell phone reception gimmicks came out were you first in line to buy one? Did you swear that it improved the reception on your phone? If so, then you’re going to love the Slim Mouth Piece. The purpose? To train you to smile better. They claim that with only 2 to 3 minutes of usage per day you can train your facial muscles for a better smile. Only $1.19 with free shipping. Heck – it’s working on me as I smile just thinking of the people who buy this and wear it around their house. NOBLE 2-Minute Charming Smile Trainer Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Amazon has the Smart Strip LCG3 on sale for $35. This power adapter included the standard surge protection but also goes one step further. There is one control outlet (marked in blue) then three always one (marked in red). The remainder of the outlets (6) are switched on or off depending upon the status of the blue outlet. Let’s say you plug your computer into the blue outlet. Then the switched outlets could power your monitor, printer, lights, etc. The steady red outlets could power the stuff that always needs to stay on like the cable modem and router or Wi-Fi box. Even if you don’t save that much money on electricity – this will be a good gadget to impress your friends… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you have a medium or large sized son (daughters work too) who likes black colored fleece jackets – today’s your lucky day. Skis.com has this North Face Denali Fleece (normally $99) for only $26.99. The cheapest I’ve seen these are typically around $49 on clearance. If interested, I’d hurry because I doubt they’ll last. PS – I think this is a last year’s model – but at 70% off will the kid know the difference? Skis.com Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Lots of people erroneously credit Benjamin Franklin for the hour of sleep they will lose tonight, but it’s actually William Willet’s fault. He came up with the idea of Daylight Savings Time in 1905 “during a pre-breakfast ride, when he observed with dismay how many Londoners slept through a large part of a summer day. An avid golfer, he also disliked cutting short his round at dusk. His solution was to advance the clock during the summer months, a proposal he published two years later.He lobbied unsuccessfully for the proposal until his death in 1915.” Continue reading on Gear Diary …

[Ed. note - This is a joint review between Mitchell Oke and myself. My comments will be in black, and Mitchell's will be in blue italics. Before reading this, you might want to first read Mitchell's article "HTC Touch HD = Stands for Hot Damn!!" and my "HTC Touch HD Walk-Around and First Impressions" and "A Quick Tease: the HTC Touch HD and Nokia N85"] It seems like it’s been ages since there was a Windows Mobile phone with a nearly 4″ screen. The last one I can remember was my much loved HTC Universal, and that was back in…early 2006, which seems like forever ago. Since then, the trend has been that mobile phones have smaller and smaller screens, even when those screens came with VGA or better resolutions. While this has been great for portability, it has not been good for people like me who wanted a larger screen for reading, looking at spreadsheets, or dealing with other on-screen negotiations. With the introduction of touch interfaces on so many Windows Mobile phones over the last two years, I have felt that the one thing missing was a return of a 4″ VGA or better screen. When I heard [...]

According to a story at physorg.com, researchers in Italy have prototyped a wheelchair that can respond to thoughts that are transmitted by electrodes connected to the riders scalp. This is being developed at Milan Italy’s Polytechnical Institute and when the user is connected to the computer via electrodes – signals are sent to the wheelchair to guide it to a destination like kitchen, bathroom, bedroom (wonder what thoughts trigger this?). The computer’s actually not reading thoughts but brain impulses. Though the technology sounds cool – it seems to be 5 to 10 years away from being commercially feasible although researchers claim that the chair would only be 10% more costly than a standard chair. PhysOrg Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Not that long ago, we showed you screenshots of the new Windows Mobile 6.5 interface to be released on devices later this year.  I, for one, like what I saw. But since that release of information, Microsoft seems to be going out of its way to “explain” their decisions to us. First they explained about how design decisions are made in the manufacture of mobile devices, then they went on to explain the new “honeycomb” design of the WM 6.5 interface. I’m of two minds about all this “explaining”.  Either Microsoft is trying to share a little insight into their process, or they are trying to convince themselves (and us) that they’re making the right decisions.  Either way, for me, the approach is a little too much like a… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One thing that I saw come out of CES was this cool little Z10 projector from Nextar; it literally fits in the palm of your hand. This little projector is capable of 640×480 and is based on LCOS technology.  LCOS, or Liquid Crystal on Silicon, is the technology being used in most micro projectors and the small modules being made to add to new cellphones.  This allows you to have a very small and pocketable projector.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m sure that the old tennis ball swinging from the ceiling is just as effective as the Easy Park at telling you when you’ve pulled just far enough into the garage. But – will you be able to have fun contests like seeing how FAST you can pull in and stop when the light turns red? Nope. Which is why for $12 this is not a bad little deal – plus it’s sure to amuse the kids when they challenge you to “get closer” and make the light red. CRASH. Easy Park Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Like a lot of guys – I have this habit of keeping stuff in my refrigerator just a little too long. Jennifer and I have this fun game that we like to play called “guess the expiration date”. She randomly pulls stuff our of my refrigerator. Asks – do you know when this expired? To which I typically respond something guy-ish like – you mean milk goes bad? So as you could imagine my refrigerator often has an interesting odor that lingers. When I spotted the FreshFridge for $17 on Amazon I just had to give it a try.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you have the need for a lot of sounds on your iPhone or iPod Touch – then 5,000 sounds is for you. This is one gigantic collection of actual sound clips (so far as I can see nothing’s synthesized). While the obligatory flatulence and belches are included – there’s lots more to be had including city noises, nature, office. I had a hard time NOT finding an interesting sound. While this app will be primarily of interest to those who need to do something with the sounds (think crying recorded baby to convince a telemarketer that you have to leave — or playing the car crash really loud as you explain to the telemarketer you’re in your car and can… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve been playing with the new Kindle app for iPhone. For the record, I do NOT own a Kindle and don’t plan to buy one until they offer a color screen. When I read about the app availability earlier today, I took a look at it’s description on the app store. I realized there was no Kindle ownership requirement listed. So I went to the Kindle bookstore on Amazon – same thing – no indication of any ownership requirements – okay, now I was getting interested. I downloaded the app, gave it my Amazon login info, and went back to the store and bought a technical book. Starting up the app on the iPhone, it went… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Some of the best reviews that I stumble across online are done by passionate gadget fans and are left in discussion forums. I just found this gem planted in the BlackBerryForums.com where member iLawCDN has reviewed his latest purchase of a Seidio Innocase II & Holster for the BlackBerry 8900. He rates the holster and case a solid 8 out of 10 and loves that the case itself doesn’t block any of the vital areas. The downside seems to be the holster which he says is the same as the holster that’s used for the 8330 and therefore leave some odd gaps. If you’re in the market for a case for the BlackBerry 8900 this is one of the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m still rubbing my eyes over this wonderful announcement. Freebie online dating site PlentyOfFish is considering a plan that will charge users for 3, 6 or 12 months of service. Up until now the site has been widely heralded as an example of how a free site can make an owner a lot of money. Looks like the economic climate and online advertising specifically has hit the site pretty hard. According to a report at Online Dating Insider, the dating site will charge additional fees and: There will be no additional features and functionality for users, this upgrade will be strictly to signal intent to the community. There will be no changes to existing users or new users. The site will continue Continue reading on Gear Diary …