As a father of 5 and 2 year old boys, I have been amazed at the ability for kids to learn how to use a computer.  Both of my sons can pick up an iPhone, browse the pages for their favorite apps and play away.  My five year old likes to sit in my lap and help me play games and work.  When is it time for them to get their own computer?  This question is something I ponder often.  Using today’s devices are second nature to them and just part of the world around them.  With the release of the Kids Classmate netbook, there is now a viable option for the boys to… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Smartphones have become nearly indispensable productivity tools. Businesses issue them to employees, and people use them constantly to keep up with their personal lives. But what do you if you are blind or visually impaired? Tiny keyboards and 3-4 inch screens aren’t always great if your eyesight is wonderful, let alone if you have vision issues. Luckily, the American Foundation for the Blind puts out an online magazine called AccessWorld, and several articles this month covered smartphones and visual impairment. For the corporate-types, they looked at an app called Oratio for Blackberries. This is what’s called a “screen reader”, or essentially a device that reads what’s onscreen for the benefit of someone with a visual… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A friend of mine recently needed to purchase two notebook computers for children. Requirements were straightforward. She needed something relatively light, it needed to have a least a 15 inch screen, then she didn’t want to pay more than $800 for it.  She shopped around for a while and found a notebook that fit the bill on LogicBUY‘s site.  it’s too bad she purchased a computer is, however because had she not gotten them already today is Gear Deal would have fit the bill perfectly. The new Sony VAIO E Series Notebook (model no. VPCEB190X) is a 15.5″ notebook that starts at $699.99. That Continue reading on Gear Diary …

“It’s a dessert topping!” “It’s a floor wax!” “Dessert topping!” “Floor wax!” “Hey, relax!  It’s a dessert topping and a floor wax!” That old Saturday Night Live pseudo-commercial is what jumped to mind when I was reading the news piece on the new Samsung ST550/CL80 digital camera (also known as the TL225), which comes bundled with WiFi as well as 3 months of free Boingo hotspot connectivity.  So if you’re out and about, and want to download your images from your camera straight to, well, wherever, you can do it with this here new digital Samsung wonder.  If you’re a camera buff, you might want to check it out.  Will it… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Judie: Last year Julie Strietelmeier and I took a look at the Logitech Squeezebox Boom, both here and on The Gadgeteer, and our general consensus was that we both enjoyed using it. As a matter of fact, I liked using mine so much that I eventually sprung for a streaming Sirius subscription as well as a Pandora Premium membership. I wrote about the Logitech Squeezebox Radio when it was first announced, mentioning its compact size, a 2.4″ color display, Facebook connectivity, and a seven-day alarm clock. Although I put in a request for a review unit… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

My first Bluetooth came from Jabra. Because the phone didn’t have Bluetooth, I needed to use an additional Bluetooth dongle that connected to it via the 3.5 mm jack. The was the “traditional” design that Jabra used for many years. It wrapped around the ear and stayed completely stable no matter what you were doing. Yes, you looked like a bit of a dork while wearing the headset, but it stayed in place and was super comfortable. In addition, it had a boom mike that brought the microphone close to your mouth for better sound quality. That didn’t much matter however, since Bluetooth technology was rather poor at the time… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Back when I first wrote about EA’s Project $10 in February, I saw it pretty clearly as a two-fold effort to fight piracy and more importantly as an attempt to make money from the used game market, saying: Publishers HATE GameStop’s used game program, and are not too fond of game trading sites such as Goozex. Why? The same reason publishers railed against Amazon featuring used copies of paper books alongside new copies – publishers get a cut of new sales, but not second-hand sales. And to be clear, GameStop’s used game business is their largest source of profits. For example, on a game like Mass Effect 2, they might pay EA $55 for Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have long been a fan of Appigo’s iPhone apps. The company makes apps like ToDo and Notebook, and they’ve recently released an interesting cork-board app called Corkulous. Appigo’s apps are polished, full-featured and constantly getting better. Better still, as deep and complex as some of their apps are, everyone of them have worked perfectly from the day of their first release. Their apps are that good… seriously. I was curious what  Appigo would do with their apps given the iPad’s larger screen; I knew they wouldn’t simply blow Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve mentioned before that I like gadget sites like Pyramid Distribution, and Gear Diary has just received another bulletin from them regarding their new multimedia wireless keyboard.  A good friend of mine has his whole house wired and networked, and he uses his computer to stream Netflix to his TV, among other things.  (I’m still not used to watching him “boot” his TV, honestly.)  And boy, could he use a gadget like this!  I don’t even need one, and even I think it’s cool. A wireless keyboard that includes a laser pointer, it has a 90-degree flip to a function key touchpad, and sure takes up a lot less room than my friend’s full-sized… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(Image courtesy Laptop Mag) Looks like Verizon’s love affair with Android isn’t ending so fast. Boy Genius Report says that Google is teaming up with Verizon to bring out an Android tablet. Personally, I think this is awesome news, and Google needs this tablet out ASAP. There’s a few reasons why this has the potential to be a huge win for Google. For starters, it helps slow the dilution of the Android tablet market. If you think the phones are fractured, just look at the tablets. There’s a veritable army of current and rumored tablets, from Archos to MSI to Asus to obscure Chinese manufacturers. Unfortunately, an Android tablet with 1.5… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When I was a kid, I thought that just about one of the coolest things my Dad owned was an extendable pointer.  It looked like a silver pen, but if you pulled on the top part, out it came until it was–well, I dunno, really; it seemed 20 feet long to me, but it was probably closer to three. Obviously, we’ve come a long way in pointer technology. Kensington is now offering their new wireless “Presenter Pro” pointer system.  Made to fit into your hand; green laser; that flat-black color beloved by so many guys; snazzy silver buttons; tons o’ functionality.  All yours from Kensington for an MSRP of $79.99.  Check it Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It is hard to believe but just a few years ago a “big” monitor was a 15″ CRT that weighed as much as an elephant and was deeper than it was wide. Oh, and the screen resolution was rather poor. Fast forward a few years and a 15″ is a joke, a 20″ screen is nice, and a 24″ screen… well that’s a screen that might be considered “generously sized”. And that brings us to today’s Gear Deal. The Samsung 2494LW is a “generously sized” 23.6″ LCD Monitor that displays in 1080p. The monitor is “designed to exhibit a rich multimedia experience”, offers a contrast ratio of up to 50,000:1 and a 5 ms… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Image courtesy of venturebeat Wireless Networks/Internet is basically the standards in the household these days. If you have a broadband connection at home such as Verizon, Comcast, or Satellite, then you probably received a WiFi Router for free from your service provider. Any new laptop, tablet, smartphone, tablet, iPad or MP3 player lets you connect over WiFi, so you can have internet anywhere in your house. Some wireless standards have been kicked around the last few years, but WiFi N is now set as the latest technology, and it can give you speeds up to 600Mbps. That is more than most web surfers need, but if you’re streaming video or transferring… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I don’t know about you, but I have one heck of a time when I’m using my iPhone for GPS directions.  I’m alone most of the time when I’m navigating, and so it’s not like I can hand my gadget over to Sami and say, “Hon, call out the directions, would ya?”  And I absolutely hate those vocal, turn-by-turn deals; they drive me bat-stinkin’-loony.  So one of these days, I have to buy me one of those dash/windshield mount deals. Well, USBFever thinks that’s simply not enough, and now offer a mount that works for the Asus Eee, the iPad, and other UMPC-sized gizmos.  So surf on over and check it out.  And… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I first heard about Sporcle on the Howard Stern show.  Howard was joking that his crew spends most of their time, time when they should all be working, playing on the site. What’s Sporcle? Sporcle is a trivia based web site and not only is it super addicting, it’s super fun.  Well of course it is right?  I mean what’s addicting that’s not fun … at least in the beginning? The site features a ton of short user and site created “quizzes” where you have to name as many of the correct answers as you can in the given time constraints.  The quizzes are… Continue reading on Gear Diary …