Seesmic Desktop Preview version 0.2.0 has just been released and updates the Adobe Air based Twitter client to include Facebook integration. You can view status updates and wall posts of your friends. Although you cannot comment (yet) on friend’s posts – you do have the ability to Like them. Among the other updates is the ability to follow/unfollow Twitter users, bigger typestyle, ability to favorite Tweets and various bug fixes. I’ve been using Seesmic Desktop as my sole Twitter client since it became available and I like it for the easy saved searches and the way I can quickly create several desktop panels to view different search topics. Seesmic Desktop (Preview Release)… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Pfftt.. so scientists have made a tiny bit of progress in developing invisibility cloaks made from high-tech materials. Big deal… Sara Watson made an entire car disappear, using just some paint. And she did it in just three weeks, to boot! Granted, it’s just an optical illusion, but an amazingly cool one, nonetheless. Does anyone have her number? My house needs a new coat of paint… BBC News Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Someday Soon, Inhalers Such As This One May Be "Smarter" At one of my former jobs, my then-manager once told me that a cousin of his had suddenly died from an asthma attack.  Saddened as I was for his loss, I became more concerned about my own wife, who suffers from asthma as well (the adult onset type, or as she likes to call it – “a parting gift from Philip Morris”). According to the Center for Disease Control, as of 2007 Asthma affected over 16 million people in the United States.  And the number of cases is increasing.  For years, scientists have been researching into the environmental factors that contribute to asthma.  But to solve a problem, one must first understand a problem.  To do that one needs to have data – LOTS and LOTS of data.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Do you give phones a real beating? Have a hard time keeping your phone in working condition. Check out this video from TV Station WREG where they throw the G’zOne Boulder into water, boil it, freeze it in water and then finally drop it from a helicopter — three times! WREG via HOFO Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This coming Tuesday is the ever popular Cinco De Mayo. This Mexican holiday commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely defeat of the french in 1862. In the United States it’s largely used as a way to drink beer and have friends over for Cinco De Mayo parties. We’re having one with the kids (minus the beer) and since no party such as this is complete without music I’ve been eyeing the iTunes Cinco De Mayo song collection of 28 party songs. Setting the perfect musical atmosphere for your party without having to individually find the mood music is probably worth the $29. Cinco De May Party Songs (iTunes) Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Stumped over a Mother’s Day gift this year? How about “Kids Be Gone” from the iTunes App Store. This handy program converts your iPhone or Touch into a high frequency device that emits child repelling noises that only they can hear. You dial in the age range making this an application you’ll never outgrow (and possibly use again and again). As the kids age from the annoying “beat the heck out of each other” nines to the “perpetual text messaging teens”, dial up the annoyance frequency range. Simply select the age range. Pump up the volume. Hit play. Presto – instant child repellant. Kids Be Gone (iTunes) – FREE… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Google and iPrint have teamed up to offer this lovely set of 25 free Google Profile business cards absolutely free to the first 10,000 people who respond. There’s not even a shipping charge – though you will have to create a free iPrint.com account. This is all to promote the new(ish) debut of Google Public Profile pages which allow you to fill in your personal details on yet another web site so even more classmates and former business associates you’ve been avoiding can find you – this time right on the front pages of Google. Google Business Cards via Google Operating Systems Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The next promocode for Appigo’s Todo goes to reader organerito whose most challenging task yesterday was… My most challenging task today was to get a copy of Windows 7 from TechNet. It took me many hours and a lot of patience, but I succeeded. (And NO, Mac users may NOT comment on his comment!) We have another promo code to give out and we will do so tomorrow night (Sunday May 3). For a chance to win simply tell us one task you HOPE and PLAN and WILL accomplish this weekend. For information on Appigo’s great apps visit the site HERE Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Something tells me the teachers at your school won’t see the humor in this phony blood bag cell phone charm. The charm resembles a very tiny hospital blood donor bag complete with a tube to simulate connecting to your body. For added realism the bags are available in type o, type a, type ab and type b labeling. Cost is only $6.21, one emergency response from your local police department and three days in detention. Blood Drip Phone Strap Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Looks like Crackberry.com have obtained a few pre-release shots of what is labeled as the BlackBerry Curve 8520. New features include dedicated multimedia buttons along the top of the device, an optical track ball that does away with the annoying sticky ball. Unfortunately this model is EDGE only though it does seem to have Wi-Fi and while it possesses a camera of unknown pixels – there’s no flash. Crackberry Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s a common occurrence.  One of shock and disbelief.  One experienced by many first time Kindle 2 owners.  Here’s how it goes…. They open the package.  Unpack all the included items.  And then, scratching their head in shock and wonder, they begin rifling through the contents of the box once again looking for it. What is it they’re looking for you ask?  The included case of course.  It’s only then that they realize that the Amazon Kindle 2 comes with no case. Although perhaps surprising to some, probably not necessarily a bad thing.  After all, how many of us actually use the plain Jane, cheapo, pleather case that’s included with a new mobile device? Not many. JAVOedge has been making accessories for several mobile devices for a numbers of years.  I recently received two of their new cases from their Fiber line for the Amazon Kindle 2.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Do you crave something really sweet?  Forget those wimpy pre-made cakes in your local grocer’s aisle — you want one of the extreme Giant Cupcake Tins from Prezzybox at your next party.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Many people buy some sort of portable hearing device. By this I am referring to earbuds (like the iPods have bundled), in-ear earphones (like Apple’s In-Ear), over-the-ear headphones (like Sennheiser’s PX series) or large cans (something like the Sennheiser HD series). For the sake of simplicity, I’ll just refer to these as “earpieces.” When you’re buying a new one, whether  you’ve lost your iPod earbuds or you’ve frayed your last pair, you will almost always see, technical specifications.  Most of you will gloss over these, ignore them, or — at best — glance at them and shrug your shoulders because few people really know what all those numbers mean.  I’m here today to help explain all of those seemingly random figures, and hopefully help you along the next time you set out to buy a new earpiece. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you need an easy way to make a Google search and include your results in an email, you should enable the new “Google Search”, now available in Gmail Labs. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Some products are timeless.  Although they might change in design over the years to adapt, their overall functionality remains the same.  The Timex watch, the Ford Mustang, and of course the Swiss Army Soldier’s Knife. The knife that has been issued to every Swiss Army recruit since 1961 has received its first upgrade in almost 50 years.  This marks only the fourth time in the knife’s 120 year history that the design has been altered.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …