Image courtesy of Wired OK, so Gear Diary (along with every other tech site) has been full of (mostly somewhat negative) opinions about the iPad since yesterday’s launch. My thoughts are not so much about anything Gear Diary has already covered here or here or here or here or here or here or here (whew!), but rather goes back to something I started talking about last September when Apple touted the latest iPod Touch as a DS & PSP killer of sorts, and I called it “hubris and arrogance”.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When I was in the food business, one of my jobs was with a major food manufacturer.  Each year the culinary group I was assigned to would publish a report called “Foodcast” which detailed what we saw as the major trends in the food industry, both now and in the future. I been thinking about this a lot lately and how the concept could be applied to most anything — and probably already is for that matter. Being the case fanatic that most of you all know me to be, I thought it might be fun to take a crack at applying it to iPhone accessories.  Over the last year I’ve seen a lot of iPhone cases and used a lot, too. So what’s trending high in the iPhone case market? Read on to find out my thoughts….… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

In honor of Data Privacy Day, Google has put together the above video explaining how they protect your privacy. Really, it’s more like “How we use your data, but only to make your life better, so it’s all good right guys?” Google’s 5 Principles (my thoughts in blue italics) * Use information to provide our users with valuable products and services. (so we can sell them ads!) * Develop products that reflect strong privacy standards and practices. (Because then people will use them, and we can sell more ads!) * Make the collection of personal information transparent. (Then the ads are more specialized!) * Give users meaningful choices to protect their privacy. (Because there are some things you don’t want to see ads about.) * Be a responsible steward of the information we hold. (Otherwise, no one will use us, and then no one will see our pretty ads.) Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Not wanting to be left out of the party accessory manufacturer Belkin has just added some new iPad designs to their web site. The company has added three new iPad specific designs to their collection. Click on through to see the new additions and then head to the Belkin web site to learn more.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Custom accessories are uber-popular right now.  We’ve seen several of our favorite accessory manufacturers bring custom offerings into their collections over the last few months.  One of the best of the bunch, iFrogz, has several items in its inventory which the company allows you to custom build to create your very own, one of a kind, item. Before I left for CES 2010 iFrogz allowed me to custom build my very own pair of their Fallout headphones which I picked up while at the show.  I’ve had a chance to uses them for a while now and wanted to share my thoughts.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Update: According to Cnet McGraw Hill was never going to be part of the presentation so a last minute change wasn’t a response to the prior day’s loose lips. Maybe so, but watching the video of the interview with McGraw Hill’s publisher it sure sounds like he was in the know… then out of it. One thing is for sure… we’ll never know for sure. Steve Jobs makes beautiful devices. He is a perfectionist who has the ability to release items that, while often crippled in significant ways (read — no multitasking on the device) people just want. Steve Jobs is a visionary. Steve Jobs has transformed the personal computing forever. Apparently, Steve Jobs can be a vengeful SOB. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Image courtesy of Hummels at a Discount I remember as a kid when my father bought my mom her first Hummel. At the time they were treasured and very expensive – and the type of expense my parents really couldn’t afford at the time. Through the years they added to the collection, eventually getting a nice little wall display case for them all. The one in the image – Sensitive Hunter – is how my mom always saw me, and therefore was the one she wanted to represent me in her little menagerie. But today an article at WalletPop talks about how the once treasured collectibles have fallen out of favor and are no longer… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(photo courtesy Engadget) Weeks of rumors and fevered speculation are finally over, and the iPad has been released. You can check out Gear Diary’s liveblog, and listen in as Judie, Dan, Larry and I discuss the iPad in our podcast. Of course, there was one area of the iPad announcement that, while rumored, is still a bit shocking: Apple will be opening an iBookstore on the iPad. But what does this mean for ebooks? Should Amazon be sweating bullets? Has the whole ebook market changed with the sweep of a keynote slide? Read on to find out!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Image Courtesy of PocketNow Tired of your WinMo OS or want to give Android a try? Pocketnow has a nice video of a simple linux bootloader that allows you to choose  between Android or WinMo as a bootup option on your  Windows Mobile phone. I don’t know what phones this is compatible with, but I’m gonna assume you can use any phone that has an Android Rom ported for it, or maybe just try out a vanilla Android Rom on your device. See it in action after the break. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

In the wake of all the iPad news from yesterday, the accessory companies are coming out in full force to support the new device.  There is already 3rd party add ons, but here is the one that our Gear Diary crew may actually care about.  I just got this email this morning from the folks at Scott eVest, the clothing of choice for Gear Diary.  This picture says it all: Yes an iPad will fit into a Scott eVest!  This is good to know!  Now, the next question: Can I wait the 60 days to buy the iPad?… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It hasn’t even been 24 hours since the announcement but the buzz over the iPad has hit a fever pitch. Griffin Technology, one of my favorite iPhone accessory manufacturers has already posted, on their web site, some accessories soon to be available for Apple’s newest offering. Check out the entire collection after the break.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

IM+ for Windows Mobile has recently been updated to version 7.6.1. This new version brings new features to Windows Mobile users. New features include: Skype Functionality New chat window user interface and own avatar MSN <-> Yahoo! contacts Improvements and bugfixes I guess the main feature here is the implementation of Skype functionality to IM+ for Windows Mobile. With that, IM+ now supports up to 11 IMs; AIM, iChat, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo, ICQ, Jabber, Google Talk, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Skype. Having the price tag set at $39.95, it is pretty steep but as mentioned before, you have a messenger that supports 11 IMs and it’s… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Despite what some (Steve Jobs) may think, lots of people love their netbooks. They find them a great way to browse the web, do light computer work and more. Since the original Eee pc Netbooks have grown in size, power and utility and they are more popular than ever. Our GearSponsor has a great deal on one of the newest! The Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 10-inch “Pine Trail” Atom Netbook is Lenovo’s 3rd generation netbook. It features an Atom N450 processor (Pine Trail), a 6-cell battery, 802.11n WiFi and much more. The netbook has a list price of $429.00 but this… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

During the Gear Diary liveblog of the big Apple iPad announcement today, Joel and I both mentioned that while we love the idea of the iPad, it’s not exactly the eInk killer people are touting it to be–at least for us personally.  … Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We over here at GD are still panting from our limited exposure to the iPad announcement earlier in the day.  Most of us want to get our hands on one and play, play, play. But shortly after you stop panting, you start thinking:  “Hmm,” you think.  “I wonder what new gear bag I’ll need for the cool iPad when I get one?  A gear bag in which I can keep my new iPad safe, and still have room for a wireless keyboard, magic mouse, car keys, geek tool, wallet, and all the rest of the junk I haul around all the time.” Well, earning big props from Mr. Doug for being so quick out of the gate with a possible answer is Tom Bihn, who within just a few hours of the iPad’s announcement had already made not one but two of their high-quality bags available for that very thing:  the Cache and the Ristretto, available exclusively through the TOM BIHN website or Seattle Factory Showroom.  Our own Jessica Fritsche in particular loves her Ristretto (reviewed by Judie, here). So if you want to get a jump on buying your iPad peripheral gear, head on over to the Tom Bihn [...]