Known for their great designs and significant device protection, Booq has announced their latest messenger bag. The Taipan shadow is a compact and Lightweight messenger bag that is intended for everyday use. Featuring a sleek exterior, the bag conceals a spacious well-padded interior that will help gear both organized and protected. The bag comes in S (13” Mac/PC), M (15” Mac/PC) and XL (17” Mac/PC) and prices start at $79.95. More information at www.booqbags.com. The full release follows… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

After long period of testing the beta versions, Resco has finally released the new Resco Photo Viewer, updated to v7.00. This application is simply one of my all time favorite ‘must-have’. Resco Photo manager is a favorite image viewing program with features far beyond standards of the classic built-in viewer. Users gain functions of complete image management in a modern looking and easy to handle application. Intuitive way of work, outrageous effects and many slideshow and edit features move other image viewing programs to the second line.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The second fun photo app I thought we might look at is a long-standing favorite of mine- ColorSplash. ColorSplash lets you take an image, convert it to black and white and then… well, and then you add back in a splash of color- hence the name. The app is fun to use and, if you take enough time and work carefully, it can yield some pretty impressive effects. Best of all, as is the case with all the apps we are looking at, the entire process occurs right on your iPhone.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It never fails that when people come over, they are mesmerized by Kevin’s and my digital photo frame. Exactly 1000 family photos pass by in an ever-changing slide-show, and there is always at least one photo that will evoke a “could I have that picture?” response from the viewer. My typical way of handling the situation is to email a .jpg from my computer (when I remember to do it), but I like the idea behind Epson’s new digital photo frame and printer much better. If I owned this device, all I would have to do would be to hit a button and immediately print a 4″ x 6″ of the requested photo. It’s genius!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I was perusing my feeds at the start of lunch, and I came across a new Motorola Android device on Phandroid. Boy Genius Report says that it has a 8 Megapixel(!!) Autofocus Camera with LED flash, 3.8 inch display and a 800 MHz Processor.  From the pics, it has a Droid like appearance but is much more rounded and sleeker than the squarish Droid.  Could this be the mythical Droid Tablet?  Or is yesterday’s post, also by Boy Genius Report, the Droid tablet? Picture and story from PConline, a Chinese website(link is to a Google Translation). It has also been posted on Phandroid and Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Panoramic Software Inc. released a major upgrade to its successful Windows Phone Twitter client, Panoramic moTweets to v1.5. This is probably one of the best Twitter client for Windows Mobile due to the constant update from the developer. At least, it’s one of my favorite. Changes with this release: Auto-refresh Popup notification will no longer come up Removed message to ask to go online, no longer required NEW: Now has the option to play system sounds NEW: Picture services twitpic.com, yfrog.com, twipl.net NEW: Initial implimentation of Twitter Lists, can view the lists NEW: Added Italian and Korean translations NEW: Translate Tweets option NEW: Block Continue reading on Gear Diary …

What an amazing thing! The Imaging Source has introduced a line of low-noise astronomy cameras that provide amateur photographers with the necessary tools to take amazing photographs using their telescopes. Priced from $390 to $640, the monochrome and color camera models are available “with and without an IR cut filter in three resolutions: 640×480, 1024×768 and 1280×960. The astronomy cameras deploy low noise CCD chips from Sony, which have an exposure time of up to 60 minutes and a maximum frame rate of up to 60 fps.” Granted, the quality of your pictures will also depend upon the strength of the telescope the camera is attached to, but what an affordable and empowering device for backyard astronomers everywhere!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the biggest challenges facing mobile applications is how to provide the very best user experience without sacrificing speed or features.  Sonoa Systems is a company that has just launched a Mobile Application Accelerator service that provides for advanced caching, optimization and pagination, allowing developers to give customers applications that will run much faster on mobile devices while decreasing battery drain. The optimized pagination and caching means your smartphone won’t be constantly  stressing the battery trying to download data.  As the video above illustrates, Sonoa’s solution benefits not only developers — but you and I as mobile device users.  If an application is slow, it’s simply not going to be used.  We all want faster, better and stronger — and we want it now.  Using Sonoa’s Mobile Accelerator Service, developers can retain and even increase their application’s customer base while making sure users are able to use the application without waiting…and waiting…for page loads. Interested?  Hit the page jump to see the full press release for this exciting service launch.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

My T-Mobile Blackberry Curve 8900 gave up the ghost tonight. For the last day or so, the OS on the phone was acting sluggish, so I did a standard battery pull.  This usually “reboots” the phone and clears up any issues the OS may be having.  Well, when it came up, I got the dreaded Reload Software 552 error.  Translation: Reload your OS. Well, I tried many ways to restore the OS:… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When Dan asked me what case we should giveaway first in our Holiday Giveaway Contest I immediately said the “OtterBox Defender.”  Not because I wanted to get rid of it quickly though.  Quite the opposite.  It’s my favorite case, and I couldn’t wait to share it with someone else. OtterBox recently announced the release of some new cases. For the LG Arena KM900 they’ve released both the Impact series for $19.95 and Commuter Series case for $34.95. And for the HTC Ozone they’ve released the Commuter Series as well for $34.95. Check them… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Google recently released their latest version of Google Maps for mobile v3.3 for Windows Mobile. This update will now enable you to keep the starred places on your Windows Phone and on your computer completely synchronized. Google Maps for mobile has long allowed you to add stars on a map to mark your favorite places. You may have noticed a few months ago that Google Maps for desktop browsers introduced the ability to star places as well. Unfortunately, there was no way to keep these starred places in sync with Google Maps on your phone. With today’s release of Google Maps for mobile 3.3 on Windows Mobile and Symbian phones, you’ll now be Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Yes, the people have spoken.  In a new survey completed by Consumer Reports, of the 19 cities surveyed about cell phone carrier customer satisfaction, AT&T came in last. “With low marks for several key indicators of customer satisfaction-including service availability, circuit capacity, dropped-call frequency and voice service-across 73 percent of the markets Consumer Reports surveyed, it’s pretty clear that AT&T has become overextended by the popularity of the iPhone, ” states Consumer Reports. No one seems real surprised by this conclusion. Who came in first?  Verizon Wireless. Its interesting these two are first and last, considering their recent history.  Luckily, they… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Convergence, convergence, convergence. Do I sound like I broken record? New from USBFever is the 3 Port USB Hub with Line-In Dock connector for iPhone / iPod which you use for Data Sync & Charging.  The device combines two devices most iPhone users have connected to their computers.  The iPhone charge and sync cable and a USB Hub. You get 3 USB ports which you can use to power additional USB devices and a dock connector cable you use to charge and sync your iPhone, all for $14.99.  The cable is available in either black or white. You can order the cable/hub here. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

There aren’t a ton a female-friendly iPhone cases on the market.  Many are more on the masculine side with some brighter color options to appeal to the feamale set. From Proporta….. “Say goodbye to textbook leather cases for your iPhones girls…. It’s not often that a case is just as desirable as the gadget or device it’s housing. However, the new Shine Case for your Apple iPhone 3G S from Proporta manages the trick in fine style. A sleek high gloss patent leather exterior fits like a glove and looks as stylish as can be, while the magnetic… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Looking for a huge, fully equipped HD TV? How about this? Our GearSponser has found a 47-inch LG Wireless 1080p HDTV for $1,199.99 plus FREE shipping. The TV is usually $1,999.99 so this is an $800 savings. It even includes free shipping! Wireless 1080p means you can cut the cord and transmit uncompressed signals with no interference . If you want to go wired, however, there is also the option of an HDMI input.  Other features include a 2.7ms response time, 500nit brightness and integrated ATSC / NTSC / Clear QAM tuner. It is pretty impressive but hurry, this LogicBUY deal expires Dec. 4th. LG Wireless 1080p 47″ LCD Continue reading on Gear Diary …