There have been rumors surrounding the Android 2.0 SDK for a while now, but it had not yet been released to developers. We knew this would be coming soon, since the Verizon Droid would be launching next month and is reported to run Android 2.0. Well, the wait is now over.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Once again, I am feeling the lack of love for those of us who live in rural America. There are two new Ambient Devices freshly introduced, but unless you live in one of the 152 US locations that support it, there will be “no Ambient for you!!” If you do live within 30 miles of a supported location, you’ll get to enjoy Ambient’s new Cirrus 7 Day Forecaster via Accuweather.com and the Centerfield Baseball ScoreCaster via the free InfoCast Wireless Network; neither device requires a PC or Internet connection. Cirrus ($129.99) and Centerfield ($99.00) are available now at Best Buy, but you should check to make sure that your city is on the list before springing. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Gear Diary! Each week, I will highlight the major Windows Mobile software releases and updates, giving you a quick feel of what’s been going on in the Windows Mobile arena in the prior week. With the recent Windows Mobile 6.5 launch, I hope to provide an overview to you Windows Phone users out there so you can put your Windows Phone to good use. Without further delay, let’s get right to it! First stop, let’s check out the new release by Wizcode!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you’ve recently purchased an expensive electronic item you may want to consider  warranty protection against breakage and accidental damage.  Some of the warranties offered by stores exclude problems due to accidents or swimming  (aka water damage). Squaretrade will cover those mishaps (for a fee) as well as provide insurance on items  you’ve purchased from eBay or other vendors.  The secret to getting a good deal with Squaretrade is to always search for a coupon code (Slickdeals or Fatwallet are great sources) that gives further savings off their warranty costs.  To get you started code AUTUMN just landed in my email this morning and will take 30% off  (maximum savings is capped at $50 per… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This unlocked quad-band Nokia 5530 GSM phone is compatible with 850/900/1800/1900 frequencies. (Note: The phone works with GSM only carriers which include T-Mobile and AT&T in the USA and appears to only support GPRS/EDGE – no 3G data). For an unlocked phone with digital audio and video features this is not a bad deal. Couple it with the new T-Mobile plans that let you bring your own phone to non-contract rates – and you get the best of both worlds with a non-contract plan and a cool (if not the speediest) Nokia phone. The Nokia 5530 XpressMusic is a compact XpressMusic device that uses a touch interface for accessing people and content on the brilliantly clear homescreen. The Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Larry is on duty today but that doesn’t mean he isn’t keeping his eye on things. He just emailed me with great news… Google Voice now has its own mashup that allows you to use thew service without having to give everyone a new number. It is an awesome new mashup, and I for one am thrilled. Let me explain…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Now this is a great deal. Become a fan of the iTunes page on Facebook and you’ll get songs and TV shows for free. Seriously, so long as you have access to the US iTunes Store and are willing to become an iTunes Page fan on Facebook there are songs and more waiting for the taking. I just visited the page and got 35 songs and a couple of shows for nothing. Caveats- you must be in the US, you must have iTunes, you must have a Facebook account, and you must become a fan of the iTunes Facebook Page. Okay, so it is not TOTALLY free… but it won’t cost you a… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Gearing up for another treat-filled Halloween?   Last week saw plenty a-brewin’ with the drool-worthy Barnes & Noble Nook eReader (yes, that’s really what it’s called), the Que and the Alex.  Oh, don’t cry for Amazon.  Even as the Kindle gets some real competition this holiday season, Amazon continues to do just fine. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The folks over at Woot.com are clearing out their warehouse again today.  Check in to see what kind of great deals you can find.  You know there will be a Roomba or two!  If you are lucky you can get the lucky B.O.C. and probably pick up some of the trash from the floor of the warehouse or even something nice.  Check it out here. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Recently I’ve been working on a Netbook Gamer for one of my favorite games, Divine Divinity. I was writing a comment about one of my favorite scenes from the game … and decided to seek out a video to show the scene. But rather than making you wait for the Netbook Gamer review, let’s take a look at it now in the spirit of Halloween! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

photo credit: nDevilTV Seriously, bloggers need to stop making nonsense go viral. If we ever want to get the kind of respect that ought to come with the hard work and lousy pay (most of us do this as a fun volunteer activity), we need to stop pulling the kind of iTablet nonsense that flew today. New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller used one word, and the internet went wild. He said… I’m hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP or the impending Apple slate or whatever comes after that. And with that numerous blogs went wild. “OMG! he mentioned the iTablet… and he used the word IMPENDING… He MUST know something.”… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

usbfever.com has released two new and interesting products for the iPhone and iPod Touch and we wanted to share them with you. The STRAP POCKET is a versatile gadget holder that is made out of Neoprene material which is more commonly used for wetsuits and is very light and durable. You can hold your gadgets and portable devices such as your mobile phone and MP3 player in it, and strap it onto various straps such as your backpack or shoulder bag strap using the velcro fasteners.  It is available here for $19.99. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve been a business smartphone user since the category was invented.  I started with Palm and have been loyal to them through the years as the market has developed from a niche geek market to the fastest growing segment of mobile communications.  Analysts say it will easily overtake conventional cell phones in developed countries very soon. As a business user, I’ve always assumed the ‘next’ new device would be better than the previous device at getting the job done.  That job being primarily communicating with colleagues via voice or text.  Originally email was the exclusive text method, but of course today we have SMS, IM, Twitter, Facebook etc. So why am I upset with what Palm has done in their latest ‘comeback kid’ device, the Palm Pre? Read on to find out.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When I saw an advertisement for the MobiValet in a tech. magazine I was recently reading I immediate had one of those, “now why didn’t I think of that” moments. My car has plenty of cup holders.  But often times every single one of them is filled with a drink belonging to one of my children, snacks, sunglasses, toys etc.  When I do find an empty one to stick my iPhone in I’m usually hesitant to do so.  The iPhone is slimmer than what’s meant to go inside a cup holder and this results it in being tossed around as I travel the roadways. If I don’t place my iPhone into a cup holder it stays tucked inside a case on my belt or in my pocket.  This makes accessing it while driving next to impossible (not that I do so unless I’m at a stop anyway.) The MobiValet is like your iPhone’s personal cup holder.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Often times when company’s release a new update to their applications they end up charging the end user for the new version.  Not the case with Shape Services.  The company reports that a new version of their GPSed Mobile Application has been just released.  Version 1.6 now includes photo attaching and iPhone compass support. GPSed is a unique GPS tracking service that lets you track trips in real time, attach photos to tracks and share them in Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Blogger.   Use it when traveling, for hiking, biking, running, walking, surfing or just for fun! In this version: -… Continue reading on Gear Diary …