RIM is hosting their second annual BlackBerry Developer Conference next week, November 9th-12th in San Francisco, CA.   This event will, in many respects, be critical for RIM and the BlackBerry platform.  It was not that long ago that RIM’s devices were merely simple mobitex pagers that had business users excited at the prospect of seeing Ds and Rs next to messages that were delivered & read between colleagues. The BlackBerry lineup of devices have since matured to be the corporate user’s primary messaging machine, and handily infiltrated the consumer space with Pearls, Curves, Bolds and Storms.  RIM is now hoping to attract more developers to their platform and increase market share in an already competitive arena where the iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile and webOS continue to sway both consumer and corporate users.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Full disclosure.  I haven’t touched a Droid yet.  I have an iPod Touch and use a Palm Pre as my everyday device. Here is my humble opinion. The Motorola Droid will sell well.  Not awesome, but well.  There is a lot of pent up demand from those locked into Verizon who wanted a serious smart phone, and they definitely get it here. I see very few people dumping an iPhone to switch to this.  Sure it has a few benefits, but it also has a fair number of weaknesses when compared, and nobody is switching carriers over the differences.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I love the Wii I received for my birthday last year. I never cease to be amazing by its motion-sensing controls and the remarkable flexibility of the system. I’m not a golfer in real life but on the Wii… love it. I’m not a tennis player in real life… but in my den I sure am, thanks to the Wii. Yes, with the Wii I can fight dragons, play tennis and then, minutes later start a workout routine. Until now, however, I used the Wii Remote and imagined it was a golf club, a tennis racket or a sword. Thanks to Thrustmaster’s Sports Pack however I no longer need to use such a degree of imagination. For all the sport fanatics out there, the Sports Pack+ NW, compatible with Wii MotionPlus™*, is just for you. This multi-accessory pack is designed for use with the majority of sports games available for Wii™…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

In conjunction with two other sites, John Obeto is giving away an HP dx9000 TouchSmart PC over at AbsolutelyWindows. What do you have to do to get your mitts on this ~$1400 piece of kit?… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The other day I was asked one of the most common questions folks inquire of me once they learn of my automotive alter ego – “Driven anything exciting lately?” Normally I jump right in and rifle off any number of makes and models that have graced my driveway in recent weeks and months. This time was different though, this one gave me pause. Had I driven anything exciting lately, I wondered? If so, why is that answer not spilling forth from my vocal chords as has so often happened in the past? Have I become complacent to the automotive industry of late? Am I perhaps as guilty as the general public in turning my attention away from the vehicular environment? Oh my God, is the honeymoon over?… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I was chatting with a friend on Google IM about the Droid, and out of the corner of my eye I saw a message come through Twitter from @jbqueru (@jbqueru is an Android developer with Google) regarding the Saygus V1.  The V1 promises a lot of what the Droid does … plus video calling!  It also is equipped with a 5 megapixel camera and a slide out keyboard similar to the Droid; it even looks a lot like the Droid.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Although I’m a fan of the Palm Pre, let’s just say, the app selection and quality is a ‘mixed bag.’  Apps that are mediocre get pretty popular because there are few alternatives and many people have lower expectations.  Sort of like the fact you can’t open a mediocre pizza joint in New York City as you’ll be out of business in a month.  In other parts of the country, there is much less quality competition so you can pull it off. Up until now, there have been a handful of NewsReaders, some Homebrew, some app catalog.  Most of the App Catalog news readers are ‘dedicated’ apps to a particular site such as The New York Times or AP News. The exception is ad supported ExpressNews from Handmark, which aggregates a number of preselected news sites. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the things I absolutely love to do with a mobile device is customize it to meet my needs.  As many BlackBerry users know, one of the simplest ways to begin to customize a ‘Berry UI is to use themes.   Back in September, Dan did a great job covering BlackBerry themes when he was setting up his new Bold — and last month Wayne showed off a beautiful HTC Hero BlackBerry theme he was using for his device. Honestly, it is extremely rare that I find a theme that creates any excitement for me — or one that I would take the time to post here on Gear Diary.  This week, that changed.  I saw an update a few days ago from a BlackBerry guru who goes by the handle “N8D”  (if you’re not familiar with N8D, I highly recommend you take a few minutes to view some of his BlackBerry videos — including device disassembly instructions and a very thorough BlackBerry model comparison).  So, when N8D commented that the Transitions theme for BlackBerry was “the best theme made for BB E.V.E.R.” I quickly took note.  What I found was that it is not only an awesome premium [...]

If you’ve watched Men in Black, you will remember the future Agent J sitting in a chair that resembled an Egg.  These chairs were all the rage in the 70′s and have been around since the 1950′s.  Now Acousticom.com has reinvented the Egg Chair and added 5.1 Surround Sound.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We’ve been spending most of the fall fighting the dreaded H1N1.  People are lathering up with hand sanitizer, and the smell of Lysol is in the air whenever another person in the office is reported as out with Swine Flu.  Well, Think Geek has the H1N1 that you don’t want to go away.  It’s the plush version of the H1N1 Virus, and it’s only $7.99 from Think Geek.  Doesn’t this plush version look cute?… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you never know where to place your mobile phone, digital music player or GPS, but you need them to be upright and visible, USB Fever has got a sticky stand that might fit your needs. The Smart Stand is supposed to work both on your desktop and dashboard; it uses “sticky” blades to adhere to both the base surface and the back of your device, so in addition to creating a surface that will grab and hold your electronics. Due to the stickiness of the blades, it will also likely grab and hold any floating lint or dust that might be in your office or auto. The good news is that you can wash the sticky blades as often as necessary to clean them, but those with pets in the area where this might be used can likely already envision the ramifications.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Dell Small Business has a real steal for anyone that’s in the market for a smallish high-def LCD TV. GearSponsor LogicBuy notes  the Samsung 2494SW 24-inch 1080p HDMI LCD Monitor is going for $259.99 – plug in the 20% off coupon code: K9K2253HCF96V2 (expires 11/11 or after first 1,500 uses) = $207.99 plus FREE shipping. That’s about $80 cheaper than what I could find on Amazon. Samsung 2494SW 24-inch 1080p HDMI LCD Monitor Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last week I discovered that I had neglected to put a document I needed into Evernote. Instead of being on my MacBook where I needed it, it was sitting at home on my iMac. No problem… I simply used LogMeIn Ignition to access my iMac (just the way I did in the above picture), I grabbed the document and I emailed it to myself. Problem solved. Two days ago I was working late, and Elana was at home with a stomach bug. She was trying to rest but my iMac, which is located in my study right beneath the bedroom, kept pinging whenever a new email came in. “Can you somehow turn off the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Ford Motor Company is taking a giant leap forward in rear seat occupant safety as they introduce new inflatable seat belts, set to debut on the next-generation Explorer SUV coming next year. They say that these new belts are being received as at least as comfortable as existing belts, if not more so, with the hopes of increasing seat belt usage by rear occupants. Here in Texas, lawmakers have already enacted legislation requiring all occupants of vehicles to be belted while the vehicle is in motion. I for one have never really found rear seat belts all that comfortable so this initiative by Ford is a big step in the right direction.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This is one of those rumors that leaves me scratching my head… The Boy Genius Report has been told by two sources that AT&T is prepping to release an 8GB iPhone 3GS for $99 to replace the current line-up that has an old-model iPhone 3G at $99. The hope, according to the rumor, is that this will draw some attention to the Droid Mania that is sweeping the world (okay, over-statement), and keep sales of iPhones up over the holidays. Personally I just don’t get it. No, it isn’t that I don’t get why AT&T and Apple would do this. That makes perfect sense and might be a winning strategy. What I don’t get is…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …