By now you’ve probably heard the news that PALM is officially part of Hewlett-Packard. If you, like many of us, started with a Palm OS device before moving on to smartphones, it’s a bittersweet ending. On the one hand, no one wanted to see Palm die, even after their slow circling of the drain for years. On the other hand, it’s an open question how Palm will do as part of HP, and whether WebOS will resurface or be absorbed into an HP Printer. One of the original Palm-people, Donna Dubinsky, wants to remind people there’s always been something special about Palm. She recently wrote an editorial for Mercury News about “The Seven Lives of Palm… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When I’m not using my iPad I’m doing most of my writing on a 13″ MacBook Pro this summer. The notebook works beautifully but after using a 27″ iMac for the last few months it can feel awfully cramped. That’s where the iPad app Air Display comes in. Let’s take a look and then give a few copies away… Developed by Avatron Software, the same company that created the amazing Air Sharing app, Air Display… …lets you position your iPad next to your computer, drag windows onto it, and interact with those windows as you would on any other computer display. Among the uses the company suggests… Fill your iPad screen with your utility Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! Well … this is sort of a ‘two-in-one-post-vacation-post-holiday’ catch-up version, as I will simply put all of the releases from the past two weeks in a single listing. That is OK, as there are fewer releases per week in the summer than in the heavy fall release season. The slow roll-out of Puzzle Quest 2 continued this week, with the XBOX Live Arcade version following last week’s DS release – I absolutely adore the game and definitely recommend playing it whenever it releases for your favored platform (supposedly late summer / fall for PC/iPad/etc). Another big release was Singularity, a first-person… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last night we watched the fireworks that took place up in Boston on an old standard def 32″ TV. It looked ok but I kept wondering how awesome they would have looked on a large HDTV. You know… something like the 60″beast that is today’s Gear Deal. This 60″ Sharp 1080p LCD HDTV has a 240Hz refresh rate and features a full HD 1080p X-Gen panel, a 4ms response time, 4 HDMI inputs, and more. The TV has an MSRP of $2,399 but our Gear Sponsor has found a deal that will take $800 of that price AND get the unit shipped for free. That brings the total cost down to $1,599… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Think Amazon and Barnes and Noble are the only ones slashing prices? Well, it looks like a few players in the ebook market have caught up with the new paradigm, though it’s debatable what changes will actually help them. Here’s a few of the big drops we’ve seen so far: Sony Readers: Pocket Edition: From $169 to $149 Touch Edition: From $199 to $169 Daily Edition: From $349 to $299 Pocketbook Series: Pocketbook 360: From $239 to $199 Pocketbook 301: From $279 to $219 Pocketbook 302: From $339 to $279 Just for comparison, again, here are the prices on the B&N nook: Nook 3G: From $279 to $199 Nook WiFi: $149 And the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

“Can you make the blind to see?” No, I absolutely can’t (although I read a cool thriller called “Kolymsky Heights” where somebody managed it).  But the tech boffins at Virginia Tech (Motto:  ”All Dirt Roads Lead to Tech!”), working with the National Federation of the Blind, think they might have managed it.  Doubtful?  Yup, I was, too.  But they think they’ve got something, and if you want to check their work, so to speak, you should surf on over and read their full press release.  Here’s what they told Judie: The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), in partnership with engineers from Virginia Tech, announced today that they plan to demonstrate the first-ever street Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Getting water on your power strip is a lot like that classic demonstration of electrical current flow:  tossing a toaster in the tub (ZZZZZZap!).  Or so it was until the Wet Circuits folks got to work.  ”Why should stuff fritz out just because it got wet?” they asked themselves (apparently).  And their answer is their new water-proof power strip.  Available now for an MSRP of $35.  Because after all, you don’t want to be the one in the tub, right? Full information below. Can you believe it? Holding a metal tweezer and sticking it into an outlet of a power strip while water is pouring over your hand and the whole power strip without Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Before you read this post I need to ask you to participate in an experiment with me. Seriously, thus isn’t a joke. The gist of this post will make more sense it you play along. Bookmark this post, do the experiment and then, when you have finished the task, come back and read on. Here is the experiment. 1. Next time your significant other, child or parent is really upset about something say the following to them… “Stop getting so worked up. Calm Down and Relax.” 2. Make a mental note of their response and how effective your “calming” words were. 3. Come back and read the rest of the post. Task… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

While preparing for part II of my ‘Picture This’ digital photography series I discover the calendar has turned to Independence Day here in the States. Many of you will be heading out to catch your local fireworks displays this evening, and some may have already been treated to early celebrations that lit up the night skies. This is not intended to be the definitive authority on fireworks photography, but I hope to assist you in getting better images with some advice I have learned over the past digital decade. First, and perhaps foremost especially given my new series covers photography in the iPhone… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

In a fascinating use of modern technology, a high-resolution camera has revealed what can only be described as the use of “white-out” correction fluid on the Declaration of Independence. According to a post on BoingBoing a draft of the Declaration originally used the word “subjects” to refer to those living in the emerging nation. Thomas Jefferson Thought twice about using the word, scratched it out and changed it to “citizens”. My grandpa Alex came to America in 1917. He was so proud to be here that he promptly changed his birthday to July 4th. Jefferson’s word-smithing of… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

. A number of months ago I had the chance to review the Powermat Wireless Charging System for the iPhone 3G and 3GS. I concluded that I liked the “wow” factor, was impressed by the fact that it actually works but found it to be a bit on the pricey side… especially since this isn’t something you actually NEED. Well Powermat was kind enough to send one of their Powermat Bundles for review. It solves the cost issue by letting you jump into the world of Powermat for less than $70. Let’s take a look… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m going to be honest, I really could care less about Apple’s current antenna/signal reporting woes right now.    Businesses and users who use their iPhone with a Microsoft Exchange server are facing a much bigger issue that, by and large, is not being covered.  The problem?  Apple’s iOS4 crashes Exchange servers.   What’s worse is that the problem won’t just impact iPhone or iPod touch users.  It will impact everyone using ActiveSync on those Exchange servers.  That’s right folks, right now Apple’s iOS4 will impact service to every Windows Mobile, Palm webOS, Symbian, Android and iPhone/iPod touch, bringing businesses worldwide to their knees. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Woot, newly acquired by Amazon, has a TiVo HD DVR for sale today. As an owner of this same model, I can attest to the fact that it is a nice unit. It will certainly do the trick… At least until Apple’s revamped Apple TV comes out. And speaking of Apple, the description of the DVR offered by Woot takes a little shot at the iPhone maker’s recent press release. It is rather amusing… Dear Wooters: The TiVo HDXL 150 Hour THX Certified DVR has been the most successful product in the history of the world. Ever. Okay, that’s a bit of an overstatement, but we think it’s pretty keen. So we were surprised when Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Do you remember those old rechargeable AA batteries that first emerged in the 1980s?  You had to charge them overnight just so you could get about 2.4 hours of use in your Sony Walkman cassette player? Yeah, these aren’t those. USBCELL AA batteries are unique in that they have a built-in USB connector hidden under a cap at the + end of the battery.  Open the cap, insert the battery into an open USB port on your computer, and let the charging begin!  You’ll achieve a 90% charge in just 5 hours and – for use in a pinch – a 50% charge in just 1 hour. There’s even a indicator light… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Image courtesy of Pixel Qi Just Yesterday Makershed.com started selling a Pixel Qi 10.1″ Do-It-Yourself screen kit and they are already out of stock and accepting preorders. If you’ve been living under a rock and are not familiar with Pixel Qi, then you should know this highly coveted technology is basically a normal viewable color screen indoors, and a super high contrast energy saving screen outdoors. The fact that it consumes 80% less energy while in outdoor mode wouldn’t even matter to me, just being able to see a screen at all really outdoors is worth it. Here’s the Pixel Qi definition of their screens: Like standard backlit LCD displays, Pixel Qi displays renders quality full-color images Continue reading on Gear Diary …