Yesterday I was out at one of my consulting clients helping them through a software upgrade. I noticed on nearly every desk not one but two LCD panels attached to a computer. It wasn’t too long ago when color computer monitors were considered “frivolous” and LCD panels cost an arm and a leg. Not anymore. Today it’s almost standard for most of my clients to have LCD panels for monitors and nearly all the top employees have not one but two of them. Since LCD computer panels have plunged in price – there’s no excuse for any desktop to be sporting a big fat monitor . And for those who don’t have one (or two) already- here’s a great chance to pick… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

All of you frequent international travelers will no doubt eye this item with interest: USB Fever has an extended iPhone 3G / 3Gs battery which has a dual SIM adapter. Many people who travel regularly to the same international destination will keep a SIM for each country, which helps them save on data and voice charges; being able to keep both SIMs in the same device means easy swapping between the two.  The added benefit of having an external 1900 mAh battery means that your iPhone charge might last through several travel days. From the USB Fever site: Features: – One iPhone (3G / 3G s) with 2 SIM Cards (see note below) – No need to cut your SIMCARD – STK Menu – Unique design – Portable power pack (Enough Power to hold your iPhone for days while you are traveling) – Access to all ports of your iPhone 3G / 3Gs – As a protective case to your iPhone 3G / 3Gs (made with sam material used in iPhone, scratch proof) – Perfect integration, almost no seams, no longer bulky – To Sync with your PC / Mac even when the battery is on – No need to [...]

This 3 digit combination lock makes sure that nobody can easily take your favorite USB Flash Drive (or any USB device) and stick into a computer’s USB slot. The manufacturer claims this lock fits all types of USB flash drives and USB devices. Might also make a good punishment tool for parents who want to prevent their kids from plugging in their iPod to the computer until after homework has been done. Cost is $10 for one or $15 for two and they begin shipping in mid-Septemnber. 3 Digit Combination USB Flash Drive Security Lock Continue reading on Gear Diary …

So here we go AGAIN. This innocent looking update is yet the latest round in Apple’s gameplaying. (and that’s being nice) If you see this update announcement… Do Not Update!!!!!!!!! This iStat update removes the very reason many of us bought the app in the first place- it removes the “free memory” feature. Why? Because in order to “free memory” it needs to go into the device’s core structure which is a big no no. But here’s the thing… Apple Approved The Damn Thing WITH That Feature In It. They gave it the okay and then sold it to us with, and often for, that feature. So now Apple realizes what the app does and says “Oops we made a mistake… just kidding. We’re taking that part of the app back.” Apple, are you kidding me???… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This is a pretty simple app, but one which could be quite useful to those folks who spend a lot of time in their cars, whether that means travelling long distances, or commuting into town each morning.  This app lets you use your Palm Pre to track how many miles you are getting per gallon of gas, and how much money you are spending on gas. To begin, just create a new account with the name of your car.  Enter the current odometer reading and you are good to go.  For the most accurate results, you should start with a full tank of gas.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m really impressed with the new Facebook app for iPhone. It is slick, works well and makes it less likely than ever that I will visit Facebook from a full browser. It was all great until I read a post over on TechCrunch that included this update… Update: As some commenters are noting, there is a bug right now that allows status updates to be seen by friends of your regardless of privacy filters. You know, there are always little bugs here and there with a new release but this… this is a huge privacy issue. You set up privacy filters so that you can post without the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Pull out the AARP cards folks, ’cause Jitterbug is now on Verizon Wireless!  Jitterbug is a basic phone  from the company GreatCall that is geared towards seniors who need to stay connected –  but just don’t need all those extras like Facebook, Twitter,  Web surfing on the phone, etc.  It’s an easy to use mobile phone that is now available to Verizon customers — so you don’t have to worry about  constant dropped calls Read the full press release here Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I didn’t really understand what all the fuss over “augmented reality apps” was. There has been some serious buzz lately but I just didn’t get why overlaying information when uing the iPhone’s GPS was such a huge deal. Then it was revealed that the update to the app Yelp had a little tiny Easter Egg that is HUGE!!!! Shake the iPhone 3 times (HARD!) and the added functionality is unlocked. After that, if you tap the “Monocle” icon in the ipper left the iPhone’s camera turns on and shows you what the lens can see. BUT the GPS also activates and shows you what it “sees”. That means, it locates you and identifies business near you. It then SHOWS them on the screen. If you tap them the content fills the screen. It gives you the address, the phone number and reviews. Tap the number and call the business. Tap the address and map your way to it. Seriously you have to see it to believe it…. so here… take a look. (apologies for the poor quality)… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The Zeemote JS1 Controller is marketed as a mobile gaming controller — although I don’t think you’ll be raising your BrickBreaker or Texas Hold ‘Em scores with this device.   Up until now, the Bluetooth controller has only been available in the UK — but those of us in North America can now get a Zeemote from ShopBlackBerry for a mere $39.99.  Yep, $39.99…yeeeeee-ouch! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When the MacBook Air was first announced, there were many who criticized its lack of an optical drive. (Funny since it certainly wasn’t the first notebook to drop the drive.) Sure, in order to make the notebook as thin and light as possible there were things that had to go, and that included having more than one USB port and the optical drive. Apple may, however, have been setting the stage to phase out internal optical drives in favor of smaller, lighter notebooks. CD drives replaced floppy disk drives, DVD drives replaced CD drives, and now it’s quite possible DVDs are on the way out as well since software can either be downloaded directly or shipped on flash drives. This does not, however, mean that there are times when a CD or DVD drive isn’t necessary. For example a few days ago I received a new TabletPC I had won on eBay. As is the case with most slate TabletPCs, there is no optical drive. Fortunately that same day I received a eTDU108 External Slim DVD ROM drive review unit from LiteOn.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This Palm Tungsten E2 was once state of the art back when there was a viable category of electronics referred to as PDA. No that’s not public display of affection – it’s portable desktop assistant. Today I dare you to find any newly released or updated models viably marketed to the masses as a standalone PDA. Since the Palm platform is migrating to WebOS and Palm Pre like smartphones – this model Tungsten makes a nice collectors item. Pick one up for coffee table display or maybe even to use as a replacement for an older beloved Palm device. This refurbished model for $109 is notable because Amazon (in one of their weird pricing abnormalities) has the same version (although Continue reading on Gear Diary …

That Toyota is at it again. The Japanese automaker has once again chosen the State Fair of Texas auto venue for a world debut. Below is the official blurb released today along with the above picture. Not much to look at yet but stay tuned – the GearDiary team will be on hand to bring you all the details when the curtain goes up next month. “DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS – The all-new 2010 Toyota 4Runner is headed for Dallas to make its world debut at the State Fair of Texas during a news conference on Sept. 24. More rugged than ever, the new fifth-generation 4Runner offers sure-footed off-road capability and increased comfort… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The update to the Facebook iPhone app is out and available NOW! This is a totally rewritten app that has been getting rave reviews by people who have seen Betas of it. Review coming soon… in the meantime… GRAB IT!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

First it was scheduled to be released sometime in mid-September. Then Apple surprised some by officially making its new operating system available for order this past Monday. There was still some uncertainty about when these orders would ship and be delivered, somewhat remaniscint of the iPhone 3GS. However, it all seems to be clear now. I just received my official tracking number from Apple and notification that I should expect delivery of my Snow Leopard (Apple’s new Operating System) upgrade tomorrow, 8/28. As with any Apple shipment, its coming Federal Express and I have to be home to sign for it, unless I fill out the special form. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

SplashData has been creating software for the mobile market since 2000.  Over the past 9 years, their products have expanded from the Palm OS to also include RIM, Windows Mobile, Series 60, and iPhone/iPod Touch handhelds.  SplashID, a secure wallet / password protection program, was one of their earliest offerings and continues to be a strong part of their product line. Gear Diary has taken a look at SplashID a few times in the past.  You can read our earlier comments here and here, and Doug recently looked at SplashID for the Palm Pre. I’ve used SplashID for a number of years because I could use the same program for my Windows Mobile handheld, my Palm handheld (when I still regularly used one), and now my iPhone. I’ve also always liked that SplashID allows you to import databases from several other secure wallet programs, making it easy to switch to SplashID without painful, time consuming database editing.  SplashData recently released a major update to SplashID and offered Gear Diary a chance to evaluate the desktop version. Continue reading on Gear Diary …