Archive | October, 2009

Plan Z: Backing Up Your Mobile Data

My father’s favorite phrase is “People don’t plan to fail; they fail to plan.” I’m quite sure a very expletive laden version of this concept was bandied around Microsoft after the Sidekick backup debacle. So I posed the question to the Gear Diary Team: How do you back up your smartphone data?

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To Understand Why The Apple Tablet Will Shake Things Up, Eat A Peanut Butter Cup

If you’re old enough you remember the advertisement for the delicious Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup . The old commercial has one person eating peanut butter and another enjoying a chocolate bar. The two bump into each other and, as fate would have it, peanut butter and chocolate collided.

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Review: SPB TV for Android

When out and about, sometimes you got a few minutes to kill.  SPBTV for Android phones can help you use up a few of those minutes with a little mindless entertainment or a news update from overseas. SPB TV is an application that streams live TV from the Internet directly to your phone.  It has [...]

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Gear Diary Dashboard Widget

We wanted to let you know about a new tool we’ve added to the Gear Diary web site. Mac users can now download a Gear Diary Dashboard Widget.  If you don’t know it already, Dashboard Widgets are mini-applications that are opened by clicking the Dashboard icon in your dock or by completing a keyboard short [...]

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Report from the trenches: Recon at Barnes and Noble

It took stealth, cunning, and nerves of steel (along with a cell phone camera and a friendly clerk), but here is my report from tonight’s visit to Barnes and Noble to scope out their nook displays. Even before you enter the store, you are greeted with HUGE mock nook in the window. I kind of [...]

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Gear Deals: Final Days for 15% Off Every Mobile App in the GD Software Store!

It’s that time of the year again.  All the kids will be dressing up and getting treats, so what’s your excuse? We’re not talking candy, either.  We’re talking the sweet stuff that keeps on giving.  The kind of treat that will keep you glued to your favorite mobile devices.  That’s right — Apps! We’ve mentioned [...]

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2010 Kia Soul built to rock and roll

Apparently, funky is going mainstream in the auto industry. What began as a unique phenomena over at a little startup division of Toyota has now spread across other Asian automaker model lines. Nissan challenged the squared Scion with a Cube and now Kia has put their heart and “Soul” into the mix. (Sorry, had to [...]

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OtterBox releases Commuter Case for Samsung Instinct S30

OtterBox releases Commuter Case for Samsung Instinct S30

Have you ever experienced the sinking feeling at hearing the sound of a phone cracking as it hits the pavement? One solution is to wrap your phone in an OtterBox protective case. They make them for iPods, iPhones, BlackBerries, Nokia, Palm, HP, HTC and now Samsung Instinct S30. The cases are designed to protect your [...]

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Skooba Introduces New Netbook Messenger Bag

Skooba Introduces New Netbook Messenger Bag

I recently jumped back into the world of netbooks. Mostly I wanted something on which to use Windows 7. So I tried a number of them running the new OS and settle on the Toshiba NB205. A bit of surgery and the diminutive machine now has 2GB of RAM and an SSD drive. It runs [...]

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Learning a Language on a Budget: Week Two – The Internet Is Your Friend

photo credit: woodleywonderworks In part one of “Learning a Language on a Budget” I talked a bit about the things you can do to get prepared to learn a language. A number of you offered comments and provided additional information about some resources that are available. Much appreciated! In this second post in the series [...]

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Making a bootable USB stick to upgrade to Windows 7

So you have Windows 7 and you are all fired up about installing it on your netbook. The problem is that your netbook doesn’t have a CD or DVD player built in which means that DVD media that Windows 7 comes on is pretty much a coaster. You can solve the problem by popping $80-90 [...]

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T-Mobile G1 eats an Eclair [Android 2.0]

With Android 2.0′s release imminent on the Verizon Droid and the SDK available it was only a (short) matter of time before someone ported over the yet to be released OS to the original T-Mobile G1. In my experience most of these ROM ports are rough around the edges and if you REALLY REALLY want [...]

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NBA Gametime 2009 – $9.99 in Android Market

NBA Gametime 2009 – $9.99 in Android Market

Attention Android owning basketball lovers — listen to every NBA game live, watch video game recaps, review live scores, get real-time team and player stats and more. This is all available with the $9.99 NBA Gametime 2009-2010 application for Android available for download now. Compatible with T-Mobile myTouch 3G (OS 1.5+), T-Mobile G1 (OS 1.5+). [...]

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Make it through the day with USB Fever External Batteries for the iPhone

After a few hours of heavy use, the iPhone 3G S battery really gets spanked! The only way to make it through a long day is with external power – which is no problem as long as you’re by an outlet or USB port. If you aren’t deskbound, an external battery pack is the best [...]

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Review: HyperMac External Battery

Every once and a while a product comes along that really catches my eye.  Such was the case when I spotted an advertisement for the HyperMac external battery in a tech. magazine last month.  The HyperMac is currently the only external battery available for use with Apple’s line of Mac Book computers.  And with the [...]

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Is the 2012 Scion iQ the ‘Smart’ Choice?

Move over smart car, Scion is taking over the micro-subcompact car segment with its iQ. The new Scion iQ is [...]

Mary Halvorson Tops Her Critically Acclaimed Last Album with ‘Bending Bridges’

Mary Halvorson Quintet – ‘Bending Bridges’ Mary Halvorson Quintet – ‘Bending Bridges’ In late 2010 Mary Halvorson released Saturn Sings, [...]

A Second Opinion on the LifeProof Case

At the start of the year, Dan reviewed the LifeProof iPhone case. He loved it. I have had one for [...]

Contemplating the iPhone 5? Try Radio Shack

Ah, Radio Shack!  Back in the day, Radio Shack was the go-to place for electrical and electronic, well, stuff.  Cables, [...]

New iOS App “Carpet Ball” Now Available

I’m not much of a pool player, really.  I like pool–heck, I also like snooker a lot!–but the combination of [...]

SPIGEN SGP HTC One X Crumena Leather Pouch Series Review

The HTC One X is a beast… and I mean that in only the best way. It is big, it [...]