Just in case you somehow missed it, and I’m not sure how you could since every tech site and blog out there is reporting it, Mac Rumors claims to have the details on the much anticipated release of the Slingbox application for the iPhone. The application, which will be available in the App Store, is scheduled to be released tonight and will sell for $29.99 and be available for use on WiFi only. In addition to full support of current Slingboxes (PRO-HD and SOLO), legacy Slingboxes, which include the Classic, AV, and TUNER, will work with the application but will not be officially supported. However, the application will supposedly be limited to streaming only over Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you’re a Mac user, Bare Bones software, the makers of the popular Blackberry application BBEdit, have a slick utility just for you.  WeatherCal places the weather forecast for the next five days as all day events into iCal.  Each location you specify gets its own line with the day’s forecast. The application gets installed as a system preference and allows you to enter your favorite cities.  You can also search for locations via name or zip code. By clicking on the day’s forecast, you see a link to Weather Underground, which provides more detailed information for the day. As an added bonus, if you’re an iPhone user, you can configure iTunes… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Definition of a egotist:  a person more interested in himself than in me. – Ambrose Pierce Ok, if you are one of the cool kids than obviously you know about Twitter. “Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?” Just because Twitter is a great way to keep up with friends that we really want to friend, doesn’t mean that others are that into you. In our attempts to be socially conscious with our social networks… some (and it could be YOU) are just Tweeting too Hard. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We’ve seen some do it yourself iPhone and iPod Touch stands made from popsicle sticks and others made from paper clips.  Some stands sells for $50 or more.  While I’m all for cool DIY inventions, I do prefer just a little style to my gadget accessories.  The iBend is made from lightweight vinyl and is meant to hold your device in the landscape position so that you can watch movies and videos hands free, mostly while flying on an airplane. Each pack of iBends contains two stands, one white and one black and sells for $4.99.  iBend has logged over 57,000 miles in the air testing their product, and they claim it’s maintained its stability… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

So what do you do with an old Sony UX 280 handheld computer in a netbook era? Why give it to Jack Bauer to destroy, of course. That is, after it no longer could serve as a detonator for the nerve agent on tonight’s episode of 24.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have a confession: I am not a big Facebook user. I know this can get me thrown out of being a late-term gen-Xer and/or banned from geekdom, but there it is. However, despite my best attempts, I can’t avoid using it entirely. Everyone I’ve ever met or ever will meet seems to have a Facebook profile, so I do my best to keep up on a semi-regular basis. I spend a great deal of time on my phone, so when Microsoft released a Facebook app for Windows Mobile I was very excited to review it. Will this make me a Facebook believer? Read on and find out.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Quite often I am asked “What happens when you get a vehicle you don’t like”? Well, here goes. It has been very rare that I could not find it in my heart to enjoy something about the wide array of vehicles I have tested over the years. Each one of them seems to “speak” to me in a different way. Some through their luxury – others their fun factor. Lately, many have shone through the technological advancements in the marketplace. And then Volkswagen sends me the Routan minivan.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you’re a hardcore iPhone user chances are you struggle with battery life sometime during your daily life.  You get too involved with a game, see an extraordinary amount of e-mails, do some serious web surfing and before you know it your battery level has dropped to dangerously low levels before dinner time. There are several external battery choices in the iPhone accessory market.  Some clip to the bottom and just charge the phone, others are more like cases, some even have lights and lasers.  Out of all of them the Mophie Juice Pack Air is arguably the most functional of the bunch. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

After purchasing a bright shiny phone, I don’t leave it naked  too long.  I receive as much pleasure from purchasing the case as I do from purchase of the phone.  In my opinion, the case needs to protect the phone and maintain all the button functions; if it can add to the coolness of the phone, the case is a winner.  Otter Box has just released a case for the BlackBerry Curve that does all three.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

USBFever.com always manages to come up with some very interesting items for the computing world, and it amazes me how much can be done through the simple interface of the USB port.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

No sooner did I post my piece on Frank Rich’s look at the current struggles facing the newspaper industry than I saw a piece from GottaBeMobile’s Warner Crocker that The New York Times Reader Version 2.0 had launched. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Have you ever noticed how many science fiction horror movies start something like this? Man orders experiment from overseas. Said purchase arrives on doorstep. Add water and several hours of tinkering and then suddenly a monsters appears from man’s basement, eats man, and begins taking over the town? Here’s your very own chance to start such an experiment and be the talk of your town. Sure these are billed as sea monkeys. We all had these tiny monkeys as kids. They don’t grow any bigger than your fingernail – except maybe if you buy them in a clear plastic container bag labelled in Chinese and shipped from overseas. The Complete Sea Monkey Growing Kit – $2.31… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We were over my in-laws’ house for Mother’s Day, and I did something rather unusual — I actually read a newspaper… from newsprint! Here’s what happened… I saw these quaint bundles of paper sitting on the counter and inquired as to what they were. My father-in-law said they are called “newspapers” and that, in his day, it was how they got the news. (I know I know… as shocking as it is, I learned that RSS feeds are actually relatively new.) I was surprised to find that the same information I read on my iPhone and Kindle could be found printed on paper and ink. (I also found that they left their mark on my fingers…) Strikingly, the first article I actually read was on this very subject, and it certainly makes my list of recommended reading as you start a new week.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of my favorite parts of the movie “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” is how the historical characters are both fascinated and frightened by the modern world. I’m a sucker for a good “Joan of Arc leads an aerobics class” gag. In all seriousness, we surround ourselves every day with inventions and innovations that we take for granted. The computer you are reading this review on, the clothes you are wearing, the medicine you’ve been given in your lifetime…how many of them didn’t exist 50 years ago? How many of them have changed the world? In this Gear Diary Book Review, we’re looking at “Big Ideas: 100 Modern Inventions That Have Transformed Our World” by Alex Hutchinson. It’s a book that will give you a new appreciation for many items we take for granted every day. Read on for a review and an interview with the author!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I reviewed the Jabra a few months ago for whatsoniphone and have been using it ever since. I love the sleek design, the ease of pairing, and most of all, the fact that the call quality is AWESOME!!!! When I first did the review however, there was a significant feature that thanks to the iPhone’s limitations I could not test. Well, the HTC S740 that was the subject of Judie and Doug’s recent fight review is currently residing with me in New Jersey. Thanks to Doug I’m (briefly) using a Windows Mobile phone for the first time in years. It has been an interesting experiment that has, among other things, allowed me to try out this missing feature. The original full review, as well as an additional section on this super fantastic feature, follows…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …