Palm was very active at the Web 2.0 Expo and CTIA Wireless trade show this week, where we learned some more about the upcoming Palm Pre and webOS: Palm Pre gained new applications; a Palm OS emulator has been developed by a third party; an early access program will open webOS to more developers; cloud services from Palm have been announced. To satisfy your curiosity, more material regarding the two events is available at The Official Palm Blog, where you will find a collection of links to videos, photos and articles… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Amazon has the Garmin nuvi model 785t on “hot deal” status for $349.99. While I’m not sold that a more expensive GPS gets you that much more these days – this would be a hot deal for anyone who has their heart set on this exact model. The next cheapest I could find for this exact model was in the $500 range. If you’re looking for your first automotive GPS you can probably do as well with the Nuvi 760 for $226 which seems identical save for the absence of the lane assist included with the 785t. Garmin Nuvi 785t $350 via FW Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A friend of mine pointed out an interesting piece of software called FluidTunes, which allows you to control your iTunes library (in CoverFlow view) by use of gestures, picked up by your iSight camera on your Mac. Now upon testing it myself, it’s quite obvious that the product hasn’t quite left beta stage yet, as even moving my elbow to move my hand in front of my camera causes it to control something. Usability factor, at this point, is almost ZERO. But does it have a high Geek factor? Hell yeah. Credit: IMDB I believe that right now it is in a Mac OS-only implementation, but hopefully they’ll port it over to Windows soon. Link: Fluid Tunes Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Looking for a gift idea for a High School Musical fan? Here’s a 15″ LCD TV (the specifications say this can also be used as a computer monitor) that’s marked down from over $200 (Amazon lists this currently at $258.66). The specifications are: 4:3 aspect ratio; resolution: 1024 x 768; color: 16.7m; 400:1 contrast ratio; 3 country osd language; brightness/contrast/color level control & sound level control; 2-speaker output; on-screen display: program number sound color brightness contrast & 240-min timer; function display; composite a/v input/output; component video input; earphone jack; includes remote; high school musical design High School Musical 3 LCD TV – $99 via SD (matching DVD player is another $61 via Amazon)… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I couldn’t help but notice this weekend that the Facebook application for BlackBerry is nowhere to be found in RIM’S new BlackBerry App World. Since Facebook for BlackBerry version 1.2 has been out since forever, it seems unlikely that it’s been pulled for a program related problem. Facebook isn’t listed as a featured BlackBerry App on the web either. And the common theory that maybe version 1.5 is launching seems problematic because wouldn’t there have been a CTIA related announcement. Which leads me to ask – Hey BlackBerry App World – where’s Facebook? BlackBerry App World Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Here’s a brilliant (and tasty) way to utilize technology. A company called Baker Tweet has a product that twitters customers when items are fresh out of the oven. Unfortunately, right now it is only available in London at the Albion Cafe. Check them out on Twitter: @albionsoven. Imagine if Krispy Kreme got in on this? Mmm…. http://www.vimeo.com/3972081 Delicious! Who’s with me on the next plane to London?… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Over the past couple of weeks, the internet has been abuzz with posts about the artist iri5‘s “Ghost in the Machine” creations. These pieces of art, which are made from old cassette tapes and other media, feature musicians and film stars. I first learned about her work on Neatorama, and when I checked the artist’s Flickr, I was hooked; I wanted to own one! Bob Dylan… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The FanSee is just like any ordinary fan. Standing about a foot tall it blows a steady stream of hot air onto those poor souls who can’t afford air conditioning. To rub salt in their wounds it also tells how how that air is. Why they need to know this I have no idea. It’s cute and for $39 not outrageously priced except when you figure Walmart probably carries the same thing for $19 (sans temperature readout). Now when’s the Twitter fan coming? FanSee Digital Temperature Display Fan Continue reading on Gear Diary …

For those in the market for a 10″ display laptop, OCZ Technology will let you choose one that fits your needs, thanks to the OCZ Neutrino 10″ DIY Netbook. The specifications are as follows: Weight: 2.86lbs Dimensions: 263(W) x 185(D) x 19.6~27(H)mm Display: 10” WSVGA (1024×600), LED Backlight Intel® Atom™ Processor N270 1.6 GHz (533MHz FSB) 512KB L2 Cache Core Logic: Intel® 945GSE + ICH7M Included: Integrated Intel® 945GSE Graphics 1 PCI-Express (34mm Mini Card) 2 High Quality Speakers (1.5W) Integrated Micro Pad 83 Keys with inverted-T cursor keys, Windows Hotkeys 1 VGA port, 1 RJ-45 port, 2 USB 2.0 Ports, 1 DC-in Jack, 1 Headphone Jack 4 cell 2200mAh battery Built-in 1.3MP Digital Video Camera with built-in Microphone Wireless 802.11 b/g… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

On April 1st, BlackBerry users no longer had to sit embarrassed, not knowing what that catchy tune was being played over the radio. That’s right folks, Shazam is now available for the BlackBerry!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you’re tired of attaching and re-attaching the charging cable to your BlackBerry 83xx then check out this charging pod. I have one for each of my BlackBerry’s and they’re a great convenience. Drop the device into the charger and it starts the re-charge process right away. You’ll need to provide the charging power cord, an 83xx style BlackBerry (unfortunately the 8350i from Sprint/Nextel won’t fit) and these pods do NOT attach to your computer to provide any type of sync – they’re strictly chargers. Update – also available at Amazon for about the same – though you’ll have to be a Prime member to score free shipping. BlackBerry 8300 charging pod via SD Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today is International Pillow Fight Day, and it is also the day that our own Linux geek gorkon, Joel McLaughlin, celebrates his birthday! No sacking him with a pillow, okay?! Please join me in wishing Joel a very Happy Birthday! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I know that this has to have happened to you; see if you can picture the scene: You’re laying in bed, and you wake up absolutely positive that it is time to get up, but in reality it’s just the middle of the night. It’s not too big of a deal when this happens to us adults, because we’ll simply look at the alarm clock and immediately realize that we still have some quality sleeping time left before we have to get up. We gratefully roll over, and we go back to bed, right? Young kids on the other hand, and I am thinking specifically of those under the age of 5 or so, usually haven’t quite mastered the concept of time. They may wake up in the middle of the night and decide that not only is it playtime, you need to get out of bed and come join them, too. That’s when a product such as the Good Nite Light may come in handy. No, it’s not just a cleverly designed childrens’ night light; the Good Nite Lite is actually a behavior modification tool.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you knew me, then you’d probably know that I’m a proponent of the cloud and cloud computing. I have replaced native, client-side apps when I could. An example of this is the icon of Google Docs, which always stays in the Dock on my MacBook Pro, as I use it in place of Word for Mac or Pages. For spreadsheeting, I use Google Sheets. Except for presentations, which I still feel more at ease editing in my copy of Keynote ’09. The reason I simply love cloud computing, is simple. Everyone only needs relatively weak connections, and a broadband connection. Heck, sometimes even something weaker can be utilized. But the point is, you could run something like Google Docs almost as well on a 5-year old computer as you could run it on a Mac Pro.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Clocks are cool devices that can be made from nearly anything. Hard Disks are no exception, and at Etsy they have a clock made from a computer hard drive. From the seller site: This is a real 3 1/2 in computer Hard drive converted into a desk clock with a quartz drive movement installed. The clock measures roughly 4″w x 6″h, and runs on 1 AA battery, included. It will make a great conversation piece on your desk or a special gift for that geek you know who is so hard to shop for. Since these clocks are made from actual recycled Continue reading on Gear Diary …