Ordinarily I wouldn’t think of sending my Mom cookies for Mother’s Day but this bouquet has two things going for it. First, even though it’s expensive (about $60 with container) the gift is more practical than live flowers that wilt. That is assuming your Mom’s not also on a no-cookie diet – then of course regular plants are recommended. Secondly my friend Mark is constantly recommending Cookies by Design as the best cookies he’s ever tasted. For the super “I haven’t called Mom in a long time” guilt ridden they even offer an $89 12 cookie set guaranteed to smooth things over and carry you through next Mother’s Day. If you’re looking for a gift of edible flowers (and aren’t we all)… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Sure, we say we’re going to diligently backup our data.  Heck, sometimes we even actually do it. It starts out with the very best of intentions.  You backup all those files daily.  Then weekly.  Then, monthly. Soon enough, though, you’ve fallen off the cart.  You’re going to softball games, soccer games, working on…One.  Last.  Deadline. Then two, maybe three months go by since your last backup.  We are all guilty of neglecting our poor data.  Usually around that time is when — gasp! — everything is lost.  We become victims a file corruption.  A dead hard drive spun into oblivion.  Maybe we just deleted that folder we just knew we would not need. Our photos.  Our music.  That powerpoint you did back in June for the boss.   Gone.  Sadly, our good intention won’t do much to save that data now. This is where Clickfree’s Transformer comes in.  This device is for all of us.  The techies and the non-techies alike.  Why?  Because it is straight-up easy to use.  There are no more excuses for backing up your files with the Clickfree Transformer.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Handango, one of the original mobile app stores, is having a 20% off sale today only.   Hurry over to the Handango site to grab an app (or two, or three) for your device.  Be sure to use the code REFUND during checkout to get the discount… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve had a Sleeptracker Pro for about a year, and while it works mostly as advertised, it’s seriously chunky and the software doesn’t work on a Mac. Innovative Sleep Solutions, the maker of the Sleeptracker watches, has addressed these issues with the introduction of the Sleeptracker Elite series of watches, and Mac-compatible software.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Finding a Wi-Fi signal can be somewhat of a hassle. The ordeal of opening up your laptop and searching the area for an 802.11B or G signal can be so time consuming that most of the time I just wait until I’m back to my house or at a Starbucks where I know there is Wi-Fi. This tiny Ball Pen integrates an 802.11B and G Wi-Fi detector and strength meter. With a claimed range of 10-30 Meters (30-100 feet) this detector resolves some Wi-Fi uncertainty. Of course the network still could be password protected (the pen has no indication of whether the Wi-Fi is secured) and it doesn’t show how many networks are available – but at least you’ll know… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Like a lot of people, I commute. My trip lasts about an hour each way on the bus.  There are a tons of distractions from people talking and the constant hum of the moving bus.  I tried the Monster Turbine In-Ear Speakers hoping to create some audio nirvana on my daily commute.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Tweetie for iPhone is regarded as one of the better Twitter applications.  It let’s you handle multiple Twitter accounts, browse your friends, and features super quick loads along with an option for landscape keyboards all in a simplistic, easy to view format. Now the same developers have released a version of their popular Twitter application for the Mac operating system.  The application just launched today.  We’ve seen several desktop apps come to the iPhone.  Some are even as good or better on the iPhone but, as far as we can tell, this is the first time an iPhone application that became a desktop one.  There is a free version which runs full featured for two weeks and… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Are you ready to find a girlfriend? I’m going to save you the $2.99 fee for this new iPhone App. Listen up. If you need to download an app to tell you this – you aren’t ready. This fun, revealing quiz will empower you when it comes to how you look at love and dating. Detailed analysis of each response, allows you to identify the qualities that are truly important to you and the roadblocks that may be keeping you from true love. Based on your unique answers, the quiz provides detailed explanations of your motivations, the positive and negative impacts they may have and strategies for altering your approach to love and dating. Are You Ready To Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Why stay up all night reading that English 101 assigned book when you can pay someone else .99 to do it? Lit Charts bills themselves as the faster, downloadable alternative to SparkNotes (and other) literature summary services. If you’ve ever labored through some of the assigned reading in class then you’ll know what a value LitCharts can be. How else are you supposed to figure out that Animal Farm is more than just a bunch of talking pigs? LitCharts Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I loved the Visiontac VGPS-900 I reviewed back in December, and  Qstarz has now released something I may like even more.  The BT-Q1000X from Qstarz not only can data track and help Geotag your pictures, but it can also work as a regular wired GPS for those who have a cheap laptop with no Bluetooth for use only in the car. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

All you Today Show addicts head over to the iTunes App Store and get the latest release from Zumobi Network. The program promises to provide videos, top stories and photos from the popular Today show. No word on when the Oprah App will arrive — can it be far behind? Today Show iPhone App Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Never one to be shy of technology or afraid to try alternative means of distributing his music, Prince announced a special release this week which also contains a purple iPod Touch.  The package, called the Prince Opus, contains the iPod Touch, which is pre-loaded with a concert film from Prince’s 21-night stand at the O2 Arena in London back in 2007; a leather-bound, velvet-encased book of photographs from the concert series; and a live soundtrack. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Just When You Thought Nuclear Fission Was the Only Game in Town. Tonight’s “60 Minutes” had a piece on the resurgence of interest in a field of Energy Physics known as ‘Cold Fusion’.  As the description for the piece from “60 Minutes’” website reads: COLD FUSION IS HOT AGAIN: Presented in 1989 as a revolutionary new source of energy, cold fusion was quickly dismissed as junk science. But today, the buzz among scientists is that these experiments produce a real physical effect that could lead to monumental breakthroughs in energy production. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!  DQ Craze is a new match-3 game from Game Mill entertainment for the iPhone and iPod Touch.    Gaming got you hungry for a treat?  When you’re done playing, DQ will locate the closest Dairy Queen to you via Google Maps.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

T-Mobile is now accepting Sidekick LX pre-orders for existing customers (through May 12 – and not available for Puerto Rico or Flex Pay customers). To take advantage log into your T-Mobile account online. The price is $249 less a $50 mail in rebate you’ll forget to send making the price really $249 after all. More frequently asked questions after the jump.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …