When I am loading up eBooks onto my iPhone, Microsoft LIT files are my favorite.  For those of you new to the eBook scene, Microsoft LIT is the eBook format used for Microsoft Reader on the PC and Windows Mobile.  There used to be a Microsoft eBook store that sold DRM-locked LIT books, just like eReader/Fictionwise/Amazon.  You can still purchase LIT eBooks from online stores such as Powell’s or Diesel, but on the whole they are getting harder and harder to find. I have a ton of non-DRM LIT files that I have converted from text (mostly Project Gutenberg classics) or downloaded from manybooks.net, and they just read so beautifully in Stanza.  I never have any issues with weird spacing or line breaks that look fine on my computer but horrible on the phone, which I have run into with plain text files and other formats. The more LIT files I load onto my iPhone, the more I have grown to love the way they look.  I barely ever used MS Reader files when I was reading eBooks on my Pocket PC, and now I wish I had appreciated them when they were around.  I never thought I’d say it, [...]

Always on the look out for that convergence device that’ll help you eliminate clutter?  Or perhaps you just need help lighting a path to the refrigerator for that midnight snack?  The reviveLITE by Scosche might just fit the bill. The device combines a nightlight and iPhone/iPod charger into one compact package.  It’s cord free and uses a frosted LED bulb which automatically illuminates in low light and can be switched off.  The device comes with foam inserts which allow you to secure most iPods and the light meets Energy Star performance standards. The revivieLITE comes in black or white and sells for $39.99.  More information about the reviveLITE can be gathered on… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I am replacing the Power Support Air Jacket on my iPhone 3G with a new case.  The Air Jacket was really great and very protective–I gave it a real positive review when I first got it!  But, it has a big crack in it and it scratched just a bit too easily for my taste.  So, a replacement was in order and I thought I’d found the perfect thing… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Blue has been making microphones for a while now but this is their first adapter.  This adapter takes any microphone with an XLR connector and converts  it to  a USB connector making it possible to record high quality audio through your computer. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The consumer electronics business is known for short product lifetimes, disposable products and short warranties. One product that has rocked that trend is the Microsoft XBOX360, which started with a solid one-year warranty, but has seen warranty extensions due to product reliability issues. Now Microsoft has announced yet another extension bringing the total XBOX warranty for some owners to three years. The first of these extensions was due to the dreaded and renowned ‘Red Ring of Death’ or RRoD as it is known, which indicated an irrecoverable hardware system failure requiring the console to be sent to Microsoft for repair / replacement. After a couple of years troubleshooting and implementing fixes, it seemed that Microsoft had solved the RRoD issue permanently. It seemed that they would finally be out of the woods of being known as the ‘most likely to fail’ console ever, replacing Sony’s PS2 DVD drive issues.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Evernote announced today that they have added Twitter integration into their already wonderful service.  I am really excited by that, because sometimes all I need to do is jot a quick note, and I don’t want to take the extra time open up the Evernote Desktop software or open Evernote on the web. All you need is a Twitter account and an Evernote account.  From Twitter, simply follow myEN on Twitter and then use the instructions sent to you via Direct Message to link your two accounts.  Then you can use the power of Twitter to save messages and notes to your Evernote account! To save a public tweet to Evernote, simply put @myEN in the body of… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Devices looking dingy and dirty?  Brand new iPod looking like it’s a first generation?  iKlear is a premier line of cleaning kits designed to safely clean, protect and preserve all Apple products.  Their products, which are manufactured in California, are all anti-static and alcohol and ammonia free.  The iKlear line or products will help you get your device looking like it just came out of the box. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve been quite happy with my HP 2140. It is light, has great battery life and is a nice sturdy machine. While I am now a Mac guy through and through, until Apple releases a netbook/min-tablet etc I’ll have to make due with the 2140 and XP. Not my preference but… good enough. My biggest complaint with the 2140 is the screen resolution which, at times, can be a challenge. I had this issue with every one of the UMPCs I tried and, while the 10 inch screen on the HP is certainly better than the 8 inches or less in the UMPC world… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Photos of the upcoming CrunchPad from the folks over at TechCrunch were accidentally published on the internet last week.  TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington acknowledged the photos with a post here. The virtual keyboard on the CrunchPad If you haven’t heard of it, the goal of the CrunchPad project is to build a $200-$300 tablet device for internet browsing and some multimedia usage.  The device would be thin, boot directly into a browser, use minimalist hardware, and would use a virtual, rather than physical, keyboard.  TechCrunch’s original post announcing the project is here. The prototypes look pretty good, but it will be interesting to see how well a simple tablet for… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m sure Jen and Joe Hernandez are wonderful real estate agents. I’m not certain that I want to see another 150,000 real estate agents, Amway salesmen, Pizza shops, convenience stores and Life Coaches join them in the Apple iPhone App Store with programs that do nothing little more than present an opportunity to use the App Store to advertise their web site and allow a user to call or email them.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Talk Mail Pro is an iPhone application which accesses and reads aloud your IMAP email accounts so you can be busy doing something else. It’s a useful program for anyone like me who finds it increasingly difficult to read the tiny email letters while driving a car at 85 miles an hour on the highway. Setup of the software is a snap and I like everything about the program. It’s fast to access mail, the voice is understandable and the menu controls intuitive. Swipe right for the previous message, left for the next message, double tap to archive and triple tap to trash. I’ve got a few more screen shots on the next page.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you’ve just gotta have the Treo Pro from Palm then here’s your chance to pick up the unlocked version for only $399. This is the lowest that I’ve yet to seen it advertised though I suspect it sill has another $50 to $100 to fall. With big brother Palm Pre right around the corner this model holds value primarily for those wanting to stay within the Windows Mobile world. The unlocked status means you can use it on any GSM carrier in the US and abroad Treo Pro Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Want to know if this friend is following that friend on Twitter?  Earlier this week I wrote an article about the social networking site Daily Booth.  Well the Daily Booth boys are at it again.  This time with “Is Following.”  The site is simple.  You enter one Twitter name on one side and then another on the other side and then press search.  After a brief search the site returns with simple yes no and you’ll know if one friend is following the other or not. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you’re like me, you’ve got GOBS of eBooks, likely in more than one format, all over the place.  I’ve got tons of books in MS Reader format (now THERE’S a blast from the past that most of us would like to forget), eReader format, MobiPocket format, etc.  Some of the books that I have are ones that I’d really like the read again and again; but now that I’ve got a Kindle, I’m kindle screwed when it comes to my library of well over 300 titles.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

During one of our online Gear Diary discussions last week Wayne asked the question, “How will these various start up web services going to stay in business when there is no apparent business model?” It is a reasonable question and one that can be answered in two different way. The first is the path Jott and reQall have recently taken. Both have begun offering paid versions of the service. (reQall kept their free service while Jott did not.) I hope both survive as they are both excellent services that offer a great ways to get work done on the go. The… Continue reading on Gear Diary …