I needed a decent PDF viewer for the Camangi Webstation, and queried the Gear Diary team to see if anyone had an idea. Joel immediately came back with the suggestion of Docs to Go, so when I came home tonight I downloaded it. To my surprise, it was on sale! Their website says it is $14.99 for the full suite, but they charged me $9.99 (maybe they like me?) The regular price is $29.99, so whether you pay $9.99 or $14.99 it’s still a great deal for a full office suite that lets you view and edit Excel, Word, PDF and Powerpoint files. Joel reviewed Docs to Go for Android back in September and… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(image of the Boston Holocaust Memorial Courtesy PhotoDelusion) While there are those who lament the digitization of everything that has ever been written down, there are some things that definitely benefit from being in e-form. Historical records especially benefit, since they become portable, universal, and searchable. Teleread today reported on one of the most important reasons for this; the International Tracing Service in Germany has completed a large portion of an extensive project to list every person who was documented to have entered a displaced persons camp post-World War II. The full list is being forwarded all over the world, from the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC to Warsaw, Poland, to Jerusalem, Israel. This is an incredible trove of information on what happened to many people post-war, and I hope that it can be used to help trace family histories, as well as a larger history of immigration around the world. My grandparents met in a displaced persons camp after the war, and while I am lucky enough to have heard their stories firsthand, there are many people who did not know their family members or hear their stories. When I hear about projects like this, and the incredible amount [...]

JAVOedge has long been known for their PDA and phone cases, and more recently they have been making eReader cases. Today I’ve got a close look at their new Kindle 2 leather Croc cases, specifically the Book Style and Flip Style. These cases are available in red, black, blue and pink leather with a crocodile skin pattern; I was sent the red and black in Book Style and the blue in Flip Style; even though they open in completely different ways, both cases utilize a holster to maximize security and protection to the Kindle 2. I’ll admit up front that I’ve never been a big fan of holster cases, ones that put a frame of leather around a device’s screen, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t learn to appreciate one if it were properly done. Were these? Let’s look …… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Bringing “punch buggy” to a whole new level Maybe I just grew up in the wrong part of the country or something, but somehow I never learned about the “punch buggy” game until I got married and my wife made fun of me for not knowing it: Now, VW is turning it into a game that, if you win, you get a chance to get an actual, honest-to-God car for your troubles.  Deal is, you have to spot all 13 types of VW while playing their PunchDub game and hey, you’re entered.  So surf on over to the site, check out the details, and see if it appeals to you.  Personally, free cars appeal to me. Full info after the jump.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Until the official iPad announcement, I had been seriously contemplating doing what good ol’ Jenneth Orantia had done, when she turned her HTC Advantage into a laptop replacement, and make my iPhone–somehow–into a laptop replacement.  For that, you need a keyboard, mouse, decent-sized monitor or the equivalent, and some good apps with which to work.  Perhaps Documents to Go, or Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite.  Something a little more heavy-duty than, say, the built-in Notebook app. Now Coda System has an offering to add to the mix:  Shoot&Proof.  Coda tells us that Shoot&Proof lets you capture “legally valid” pictures, video, and sound from your iPhone (for accident reports to your insurance company, say).  Coda will be demoing this app at the Barcelona Mobile World Congress 2010, but you can check it out right now on their website. Full release after the jump. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I wasn’t liking Google Buzz to begin with. I don’t like, it, I don’t need it…… actually I don’t even know what it is! Then I read this piece on TechCrunch– Google Buzz Privacy Issues Have Real Life Implications. (thanks Carly). Seriously this is some scary stuff and is a MUST READ. Well if Google is going to make us all opt out so be it. And while there is an option to turn off Buzz on the bottom of the Gmail screen there is apparently a better, safer and more complete way to turn off Google’s newest “feature”… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We posted on the FastPencil service last month as a way for authors  (and aspiring, would-be authors) to take advantage of an end-to-end publishing model.  FastPencil allows YOU to control the content, price and distribution of your very own eBook.  where they can maintain control of their content, price, distribution.   This isn’t some fly-by-night publishing platform, either.  Using FastPencil, you’ll have the opportunity to reach over 32,000 online retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble! Need a little incentive?  The folks at FastPencil have organized a promotion to help you get your words published.   Even if you’ve just been putting your thoughts out on the interwebs via a blog, you can now… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I love the convenience of having a MiFi to quickly create a Wi-Fi hotspot practically anywhere I choose.    I can fire it up in the car, so passengers can check their email or surf the web directly from their laptop or netbook.  I can use it to connect and surf even when my other carrier’s smartphone drops the signal.   In some cases, you don’t even need to use a MiFi at all — if you have a Palm Pre Plus, Pixi Plus, or Windows  Mobile phone to create your own wireless hotspot.  The next step, though, looks like it will be even better.  How about being able to use your phone’s SIM card itself  as the Wi-Fi hotspot? It’s happening now.  Sagem Orga and Telefonica have teamed up to create the “SIMFi,” the world’s first SIM card with integrated Wi-Fi.  They’ll be showing it off next week in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress 2010.   Just imagine being able to pop the SIMFi into any (GSM) phone you like and have the convenience of having wireless wherever you go.  Forget needing to connect to tether or even bother with a separate gadget; it will be right in the SIM that’s in [...]

If you are an audiobook fan, you know how pricey they can get. Audiobooks usually cost around $30-$40 in a bookstore, though many libraries have decent selections on-hand. The best case scenario is when your library supports Overdrive, a company that supplies digital media to libraries, schools, etc. Overdrive audiobooks usually come in WMA and MP3 flavors, but of course they are all coated with special DRM. Even digital files have limited timeframes (usually 14 days), though at least they just expire, saving you the trouble of driving all the way to the library to return or renew them!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

So you’ve decided this is the year you’re going to do it.  This Valentine’s Day you’re going to break out the pots, the pans and attempt to cook a romantic — and, hopefully, tasty — dinner for your sweetie.  The only problem is you have no idea what to cook.  No need to stress out or dedicate several hours this weekend  taking an exhausting amount of notes while watching several hours of the Food Network™.   Nope.  All you need to do is download this free app to your iPhone or iPod Touch.  It’s called the STRAWBERRIES app, and it’s from the fine folks at the California Strawberry Commission. You’ll have tons of… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Long before Nintendo conquered the world with the NES in 1987, Atari ruled the video game landscape with their 2600 and 7800 consoles in the late 70′s and early 80′s. Since those games couldn’t rely on graphics or elaborate storytelling, they needed gameplay hooks that were compelling. Most were also either arcade games or similar to popular arcade games, which further meant they had to be immediately interesting to get your quarters. That is why they are still popular today. Back in 2004 Atari released the Flashback in the midst of the ‘TV Plug In’ craze. The Flashback featured 20 games, 15 from the Atari 2600 and 5 from the 7800. Just a year later they introduced… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Google has unleashed Google Buzz. It feels somewhat like wave from the video, but there’s some unique things that make it like Twitter. Twitter on steroids. So far, it seems, the only thing out there is the new version of Google Maps. So what do the Gear Diary writers think about the latest Google thing?… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Techcrunch is reporting that Amazon is thinking of offering up a free Kindle 2 to subscribers of their Prime service. Apparently spending $80/year can be a bigger savings than just shipping! As Techcrunch points out, this does make sense. Amazon is targeting their best customers, and what better way to insure loyalty ahead of the iPad than by tying them closer to the Kindle store? The big snag is how to not lose money on this promotion. A few ideas Amazon could consider: -Require a certain number of books be purchased within the first year. Nothing crazy, but say 10 books. That would cut the bill for Amazon considerably, and spreads the “cost” for Prime subscribers… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Poor USA Today. They’re struggling with poor circulation, and now it seems they will be forcing unpaid leave on 1,500 employees to save some money. With the digitization of, well, everything, it’s a tough time to be in print media. To curry favor with their future binary masters, USA Today is adding Barnes and Noble and Sony Reader sales figures to their book bestsellers list! Now Kindle, B&N and Sony are all represented, and hotel guests across the nation will have something new to read with their room service. All we need is to get the NY Times on board and ebooks will really be getting some respect…… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It looks like our friends over at T-Mobile are trying to help out us poor G1 users by beta testing a new product called  Voice Plus.  Its only open for G1 users now, but more than likely, if the service is a success, it will roll out to all of their Android customers. What does the Voice Plus service include? Call Divert: Send select phone numbers directly to voicemail without ringing your phone.  (You can do this now manually, but a service may be a good idea.) Call Defer: Let callers know that you are busy, and when is a convenient time to call you back. This service can also send text messages acknowledging Continue reading on Gear Diary …