Where one screen is good – two is better, right? Aren’t most of us already using two screens on our desktop? Then why not two screens on your laptop as well. Lenovo’s done just that with their ThinkPad W700ds which GearSponsor Logibuy has spotted on promo for $704 off the normal list price. This unique laptop features two monitors – one is an 18″ WUXGA and the other a 10.6″ WXGA. There’s 2GB of DDR2 1067MHZ RAM, a 160GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive, 9-cell battery and a boatload of options can be added. Coupon expires 7/12/09. Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Hope you had a great weekend filled with family, friends, fireworks, and fun.  In the midst of getting ready to hit all those barbecues, you may have missed some things during the week.  No worries.  Sit back and relax as we bring you up to speed on some of Gear Diary’s best from the week.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

While the advertising claims this is a “torso enhancing” undershirt – I say it’s not much more than a $58 t-shirt girdle (Crew or V-Neck available) for guys with a gut. The site claims this body-sculpting undershirt is designed to support your core – though I suspect it’s worn mostly by guy’s who think a Core is a single can of Coors. RipT via Book of Joe Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Here’s an ultra-affordable Gearsponsor deal on a Dell 2130CN color laser printer. Normally priced at $499 – you can get the price down to a bargain $152.10 by adding the printer to your shopping cart, removing the duplexer and applying coupon code 22X6DLMFK6K92G. The printer has a 1 year basic warranty from Dell and you’ll get fast output of 16 pages per minute (ppm) color and 20 ppm black with a monthly duty cycle of up to 40,000 pages. Actual print speed will vary with use. Especially interesting is the simplified networking that allows for setting changes via the web and the ability to continue printing in black with an empty color toner cartridge. Dell 2130CN Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This Scarface clock is sure to delight the diehard fan in your life. Each hour it plays a different quote from the movie. There are also 12 separate scenes to illustrate each of the hours. Powered by 3 AA batteries this Geardeal is only $12.99 shipped and thankfully has a control that shuts the noise off at night so you’re not scared awake at midnight by the sounds of Scarface. Buy via FW Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Okay, I’ve kept quiet for the last two weeks with regard to my whole Kindle episode. Over that time Doug posted on the new price parity by eReader and, as expected, I have heard no follow up by Amazon customer service let alone from Jeff Bezos in response to my email to him. The fact remains that Amazon’s customer reps have no idea what the DRM policy on books they sell actually is. The first told me there is a limit to the number of times you can download books (there is not!) and the others we unclear about the number of devices any give book can be on at any one… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you’re using one of the new iPhone 3GS models you may have noticed it’s no longer possible to force quit an application by holding the home key down for 5 seconds. This worked on prior models but now holding the home key down will only bring up the voice control. Instead to force quit an application running on an iPhone 3GS press and hold the power button for 5 seconds. When the Quit/Cancel screen appears THEN you can hold the home key for 5 seconds and the application will force quit. When even that doesn’t work I’ve found the combination of holding home and power for 5 seconds will still force a reset. Appmodo Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Some people like shoes while others like jackets. Me… I’ve always had a thing for notebook cases. There is something about the combination of function and style that draws me to a new case when I see one. So when the opportunity to take a look at Rivet’s new Vertical Leather Bag came up I jumped. It looked nice and, perhaps more importantly, it looked DIFFERENT from the other bags available. Let’s take a look…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have many fond memories of time spent on CompuServe in the late 1980s. For those of you not familiar with the service, CompuServe was like a mini-Internet before there was an Internet. CompuServe was the online place that the cool geeks hung out while AOL was for the neophytes unsure about the online world and wanting a graphical interface with training wheels. Sure the CompuServe online interface was crude (for a long time it was all text based) but there were discussion forums that seemed to attract only the most diehard enthusiasts thus ensuring the information exchanged was of high quality and absent of today’s crass commercialism. As of June 30, 2009 the old CompuServe forums and software are no Continue reading on Gear Diary …

My relationship with the new fullsize GM hybrids continues to be a love/hate one. I love the fuel savings and cleaner emissions delivered by these “green beasts,” but I hate that consumers still cannot get an SUV for less than 50 grand. I also hate the acceleration/deceleration whine produced by the transmission/generator unit while operating in electric mode at low speeds, but then, this is the tradeoff for new technology. The good news is, these new trucks see a 40 percent fuel economy improvement in city driving thanks to GMs two-mode hybrid powertrain.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Rita El Khoury (Dotsisx) of SymbanGuru.com has two of the hottest new Nokia phones, the N86 and the N97. Yesterday she posted a drool-worthy photo layout sure to inspire some hardcore gadget lust. Not only are her photos amazing, but the subject matter was enough to make me regret my decision not to take part in the gadget deal Wayne posted the other day. Ah well… Put a bib on, and hide your credit card! The N97 and N86 are the first two devices in the Nseries line-up that are really well-built. We’ve had cheap plastics, shiny elements and flacky build quality on Nseries for a long time, and Continue reading on Gear Diary …

After reports of white iPhones changing color due to heat, Apple has addressed the problem.  The reason?  The summer heat wave!  For what it is worth, my 32GB 3GS does get warm while in heavy use, but I have never experienced what I would say was “hot.” Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The Why Cry Baby Analyzer claims to analyze “advanced frequency spectrum” and within 20 seconds tell you why your baby is crying. As a single dad who raised two infants let me save you the $99 and give you some advice. Babies cry when they’re sick (Tip: Don’t hold them over your head at 2am in the morning unless you enjoy trying to fall asleep smelling like sour baby puke) or when they’re hungry. There you go – invest in a good digital thermometer and a baby bottle – send me the $99 instead. Happy 4th. Why Cry Baby Analyzer – $99 Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Phatware has been making handwriting recognition and note taking software for [what were called at the time] pocket PCs and smartphones since 1997.  I’ve used PhatPad on my Windows Mobile devices for quite a few years now, and it’s often one of the first things that I install when I get a new device.  When they announced their first products for the iPhone at the end of May, Phatware offered Gear Diary an opportunity to review their first three programs: WritePad Notes, WritePad Affairs, and WritePad Events.  All three programs feature PhatWare’s handwriting recognition software for the iPhone, WritePad. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Here’s something that I had not seen before. It may not be a new feature but I thought it was strange when my NY Times application presented a pop up window asking me to rate the application. I’m used to only seeing that prompt when I delete an application and not while I’m in the middle of using it. Let’s hope that it’s not followed by prompts to subscribe to the paper version or some other type of pop-up marketing nonsense… Continue reading on Gear Diary …