If you see a friend with a gadget fetish carrying something different, chances are it is something new and trendy. Gadget-heads are seen as fickle and trendy, and bitterly loyal … for about 30 seconds until the next bright & shiny object comes along. But I have typically held on to the stuff I loved the most, and recently I’ve been alternating between 4 PDA/handhelds – my Axim x51v, iPod Touch, Psion Revo and HP200LX. Made me wonder – what sorts of ‘old school’ stuff does the rest of the Gear Diary staff use? So I asked the question – and looked for them not to talk about stuff like the old Kitchen Aid, the ancient clock in the spare bedroom, or even something like my ancient HP Omnibook I use perhaps three times a year. I was talking about regular use. Read on to find out what they had to say!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Way back in the spring, I posted about Dan Brown’s “The Lost Symbol” and its potential to be an e-book star. With eBook apps on smartphones, and Sony Readers and Kindles coming down in price, more people than ever can get their hot little hands on eBooks. And sure enough…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

MSI has just announced their new Wind U110 ECO. At just 3.2 pounds and 1.24 inches thick the Atom-powered unit offers 15+ hours of run time. That’s pretty impressive. Other specs look good too, including  a 10″ LED backlit screen with 1024×600 resolution, a high-definition webcam and 802.11 b/g/n LAN. Full specs, the release and lots of pictures follow.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Since I began writing for Gear Diary I have gotten to know my FedEx and UPS delivery people quite well. Fact is rarely do two days pass when I don’t see one or both of them. I sold my Kindle2 a few weeks back and had no plans to purchase another one unless Apple doesn’t come out with a light-weight tablet in the next few months. For reasons I will go into in another post, however, I ordered a Kindle DX. That’s where this story begins.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

[Ed note: This review is being simultaneously posted on Gear Diary and Just Another Mobile Monday.] Quite often HTC will release several versions of a single model, and depending upon whether you buy an unlocked or carrier subsidized version, you might end up with very different features. Such is the case with their new QWERTY Windows Mobile Smartphone, the Snap. I was sent their unlocked European version, and Doug received the US Specific Sprint branded device; my comments will appear in black, and Doug’s will be in blue italics. The Unlocked HTC Snap (European Version) The first thing that impressed me about the Snap was its sleek design; it’s the heir apparent to the popular HTC Dash, but it manages to pack even more Smartphone goodness into an even more compact package. The Snap is roughly the size of an iPhone 3Gs, measuring approximately 4.6″ tall x 2.4″ wide x 0.5″ thick, and weighing just over 4 ounces. Since almost everyone knows the rough dimensions of the iPhone, I’ve included photos of the Snap with an iPhone 3G S in the gallery for comparison.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We all know that the way in which we connect with one another is rapidly and radically changing. What seemed the stuff of science fiction just a few years ago is now part of our day-to-day. The iPhone many of us carry is, in fact, more powerful than the computers we used a short time ago. The change is SO great and SO rapid, however, it is hard to really put it all into perspective. A new “Shift Happens” video does a good job showing just HOW GREAT this shift is. It is definitely worth a look… via GottaBeMobile Continue reading on Gear Diary …

OK, so it took me a little longer than most to adopt the new iPhone into my life. Truth be told I preferred the video and still image functions of the Nokia over the Apple product. It wasn’t until recently that I seriously began questioning my choice of cellphones. The final convincer was a mention of some new software and iPhone app by onOne Software, Inc. that allowed the user to control one of many of the newer DSLR cameras remotely from their iPhone (or iPod Touch) device.  Sold. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Fan of Sports Talk Radio?  ESPN Radio has just launched its very iPhone OS application, available in the iTunes App Store for $2.99 The app provides access to 15+ ESPN Radio stations including many of the ESPN personalities like Mike & Mike and The Herd.  There’s podcasts, Sports Center updates and more.  You can even send text messages from the application straight to the studios of ESPN. Also in the mix is the ability to listen to live play by play broadcasting of college football games. You can check scores to see how your favorite team is doing as well. Check out the ESPN Radio application for the iPhone OS in… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Back in late June Judie reviewed the SKYlasers 125mW green laser pointer, providing a fun look at some of the interesting things you can do with a laser such as that. Soon thereafter, TechLasers provided us with one of their 95mW Infinity II 532nm Green Laser Pointers to evaluate for review. Judie also sent me the SKYlasers pointer, so I could do a bit of comparing. I will also attempt to answer a slightly more serious question – why the heck does someone need a 95mW laser pointer?… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the best applications for the Blackberry platform is the Blackberry Messenger application.  It allows Blackberry users to message each other using their device’s unique PIN number.  The messages come and go quickly and no SMS messages are used in the process. This sort of feature is sorely missed on the iPhone OS.  That is until now. Whatsapp Messenger is a messaging client for the iPhone OS that allows iPhone users to communicate directly with each other.  They key is only iPhone users can use the application.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve had a few cats and none of them seemed terribly fond of playing dress up. I can only imagine the fun you’d have trying to fit kitty into an emergency evacuation vest in the midst of fire, flood or other natural hazard. Seems like a portable pet carrier might do just as well. This emergency pet vest offers: * Japan Firefighting Association-certified flame-retardant jacket * Materials: polyester (base cloth), polyurethane (outer shell), fireproof acrylic (lining) * Heavy-duty carry handle, and double-duty strap/leash * Pet supplies: food bowl, muzzle, hermetically sealed odor control bag (for any items distressing the pet), protective rain hood and rubber booties, freezer gel paks (to control heat), bell, waterproof ID capsule with blank paper * Human/pet supplies: 50mL… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Settling into your Monday routine?   It seems that all the big players had an announcement, so before you get too drawn into wrapping up those TPS reports, let’s take a look back at some of the past week’s big stories, deals, and updates.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

from JAiB My buddy Patrick gave me a heads-up regarding a new app that coming to the App Store today. Well, actually it is a new app FOR the App Store but not a new app at all. The app, Snapture, has been available on jailbroken iPhones for quite some time. To use his words, it is “like the built-in camera app on Steroids”. Among its features… # Patent-pending Picture-in-Picture Technology (allows users to view and delete recent photos directly on the viewfinder) # Multi-Touch Pinch and Pan Zoom (5X max) # High Speed Multishot: 3 rapid-fire snaps to capture every moment of action. # Easy Snap: Tap Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m currently training for what will be my 12th marathon.  This time I’ll be tackling the 26.2 mile distance down at the Outer Banks Marathon in North Carolina. In addition to running 11 other full marathons I’ve run quite a few other races in my running career.  One of the items that goes with every race is a runner’s bib.  The paper bib, which has the runner’s number on the front, is fastened to your shirt via safety pins and serves to identify you amongst the swarms of other runners.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Picture this: You live two and a half miles from your front gate, and you want to know who is entering or leaving your property; or you own a half million dollar mobile home that is kept at a storage facility, and you want to check in on it daily without actually driving to the edge of your city; or you own a vacation home that is only visited a few times a year, and you want to make sure that no one is squatting there when you are gone. Those are just three examples of why someone might need the new Brickhouse Security cellular-enabled Global Watchman.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …