How would you like a USB flash memory thumb drive that could back up your netbook’s entire 120GB hard drive? If you’ve got $460 to spare, then the Corsair Voyager GTR 128 can take care of that task for you … and get it done quickly. The quad-channel architecture employed by the Flash Voyager GTR series delivers read speeds up to 34MB/s and write speeds up to 28MB/s, approaching the maximum transfer rates supported by the USB 2.0 interface.  The outstanding performance numbers translate into genuine, real-world results.  In the Corsair Labs, using a typical Windows 7-based PC, the Flash Voyager GTR 128GB was tested head-to-head against a 128GB USB drive from one Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I was a slow comer into the realm of social networking.  It took me a while to get the hang of using MySpace, and then Twitter, and afterward, Facebook.  I admit to being on Facebook more than I should some days.  I am addicted to a few of the games there, Mafia Wars and Castle Age.  I know I am not the only one in my family that has this problem though.  My mother plays Bejeweled, my aunt is on Farmville, and I think my fiance’ plays Space Commander (or something like that). While I love Facebook for communication with family and friends, and for the fun applications, there is something that I cannot stand.  It is the endless stream of application notifications.  They tend to pop up all the time.  I remember one time having over 100+ notifications waiting for me to read them.  I just don’t have the time nor do I want to read them in most cases.  Even if you only used the application once, the notifications from that application and from every other application you use start going…and going…and going.  It can drive a person nuts. When I play Castle Age, I still don’t like [...]

I knew something fishy was going on around here at Gear Diary headquarters. I mean… all the emails exchanged. All the Skype calls. The midnight posting… there was something going on but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Then browsing the web recently I discovered it… I just hope this post isn’t the thing breaking the news to Kevin and Karen… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Buy.com has the last of the 12.1 inch G4 iBooks for $299! Why is this a deal? It has potential for a few different needs. 1) You need a basic, easy, cheap computer for your kids or an older, not computer savvy relative. The G4 does not have much power, but would be comparable to a netbook for basic activities. 2) You need a cheap, not so large laptop, but something with a bigger screen and keyboard than a netbook. 3) You want to install Linux or play around with Mac OS X and not fear you will hose your primary machine. 4) This will complete your… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

… and they are blaming a ‘Leap Year Glitch’ for the problem. Read on for more!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

USBfever has launched a new 3 in 1 USB2.0 Direct Link Cable + USB NetLink Cable + Card Reader! It looks to be a great little accessory that has the ability to help those of you that rely on netbooks without DVD drives. Why is that? Well, the Direct Link Cable allows you to transfer files between computers instantly, for me that means no more loading everything I need onto either a thumb drive or external hard drive from my desktop….and then pulling it to the netbook. With this I could just connect the two computers! It is also a Netlink Cable which allows you to connect any computer WITHOUT an internet Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Do you lack balance in your life? New Balance has announced the launch of New Balance 365, a collection of 365 short films that engages consumers 365 days a year by asking them to think about “the balance”. Beginning on February 22, one 20 second short film that creatively explores the idea of “the balance” will post live each morning to NewBalance365.com for consumers to view, ponder and engage with the New Balance brand each and every day of 2010. In an effort to extend the creative reach of the project, each film will also be available Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Truphone is the one VOiP service that has always worked well for me on my iPhone. Now they have rolled out their new Truphone Local Anywhere service and, surprisingly, it relies on… a SIM card. That’s right, the new services is offering pre-paid SIM cards that let you make calls at super low prices. They are advertising the service as “The one smart SIM that lets you be local, anywhere.” The SIMs offer low rates in your country of residence ($.15/ minute in the US), and even include “competitive SMS and data rates). And when you are traveling- –you pay the low rates there… with the same SIM. (And it will work in 185 countries already.) – you can add a new local number and… –it won’t cost anything extra to receive calls from your home country. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Image courtesy of Nav N Go Nav N Go just announced their new OEM line of mobile navigation software called iGO primo. This new software is a premium backend solution for OEM’s and manufacturer’s based on the iGO My Way engine. The newest version introduces over 30 features and countless new enhancements to the original My Way design, while keeping to the simplistic and easy to use graphical interface. Nav N Go provides the base software for many companies and is used in some of the popular GPS’s today. It’s a cost-effective way for companies to implement navigation software without having to develop it in-house. The customized tailored OEM solution provides a stunning GUI interface while focusing on driver enhancements and safety by way of Driver Alerts featuring advance display of warning signs and realistic junction views. The new high def terrain visualization shows clear and precise viewing of distant terrain using enhanced rendering. Nav N Go will be showcasing this new software at their CeBIT booth during the 2010 show this week in Hanover, Germany. “We have integrated five years of knowledge gathered from working with our OEM partners in the navigation sector into one sophisticated and feature-rich product that is [...]

I love Internet radio. I listen to Slacker Radio all the time and when I need a change I turn to Pandora or Last.fm. Elana uses an iPod touch for no reason other than to let her listen to her favorite AM station while she is cooking without all the static common to AM radios. (But that is another post.) Well if you love Internet radio (or even like it a bit) you may well be interested in the upcoming Logitech Squeezebox Touch. The Logitech Squeezebox Touch is a Wi-Fi Network Music Player that lets you listen to Internet radio, online music services and even your iTunes music… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Mamiya, manufacturer of professional medium format cameras, lenses and accessories, has just announced the latest addition to their lineup of professional large-sensor DSLRs, the DM40. Featuring a resolution of 40 megapixels with a peak capture rate of .8 seconds per frame and a sustained capture rate of 60 frames per minute, the Mamiya DM40 is the industry’s fastest large-sensor DSLR. The heart of the DM40 system is the new “DF” camera-core technology, developed by Mamiya, featuring two user-selectable shutter systems: leaf or Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Photo courtesy of The Purse Hook website Over the past few years, I have fallen in love with higher-end leather goods, specifically pretty (and functional!) purses and bags.  I’ve always been a bit of a purse girl, but I eventually realized that buying one or two nice leather bags a year makes much more sense for me than buying a lot of bags that fall apart on me within 3 to 6 months of carrying them every day.  I started collecting Coach bags one Christmas when I got a particularly nice bonus from work, and it all slid downhill from there.  I have a modest collection now and I consider them an investment–I try to take good care of them so that they will last me for years to come. One of the things I hate is carrying a bag to a restaurant or bar and having no place to put it.  If I am going to spend $200+ on a bag, why would I want to put it on the floor or set it on a gross-looking bar or tabletop?  Enter the Hookette With a Twist purse hook, which has become an always-carry item in my bag whenever I [...]

Just a quickie here: Sony’s flagship Playstation 3 has been struck with a bug that is related to a clock setting on the online PSN system, but that bug ‘infects’ systems that connect to the network and make it impossible to play any games with Trophy capabilities. Unknown to many, Sony requires ‘Trophy Sync’ to occur when a game starts up, and this bug causes errors and therefore will not let you start any games with trophies. That just happens to be most of them – including last week’s hot release ‘Heavy Rain’ as well as most other popular games. The only bright spot is that apparently the bug doesn’t impact the more recently released ‘PS3 Slim’ systems.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Some companies continue to try to find a way to replace audio CD’s in brick and mortar stores like Wal-Mart.  For most of the Gear Diary staff, digital downloads via iTunes Music store, Amazon MP3 Store or the Zune store have all but replaced audio CD’s.  What could be easier than downloading a MP3 and putting it on your player? SanDisk is trying again to do this with  SlotRadio+. SlotRadio+ is basically very similar to SlotRadio, but not only has 1000 music tracks on it, it also has 4 Gigs of storage for your own music.  This sounds pretty cool until you look at what you can actually do with it.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

So you bought a shiny new Android phone or tablet, and now it’s on to the important stuff: How can you read your books on it? Admittedly, there aren’t the same number of ebook options for Android as there are for the iPhone, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a decent selection of options! Rather than review each one individually, I thought it might be best to do a roundup/quick overview of the major readers available. There are several ePUB readers, and several apps use the same or overlapping sources for the books you can download in-app, so I’m looking to focus on the features each application brings to the reading experience. I’ll be looking at Aldiko, FBReader, Wordplayer, Shortcovers, eReader and Ibis Reader. We’ve got quite a bit to cover, so let’s get started! Note: For any apps available through the Android Market, I’ve included the QR codes; if they are direct downloads I just linked to the download website.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …