If any of you folks are old enough to remember the early days of PDAs, you may remember Apple’s Newton.  While in many ways a cool device ahead of its time, one of the Newton’s major failings was its tendency to make, ahem, questionable decisions with its handwriting recognition. We’ve come a long way, baby. Swiftkey is an app that has AI capability built in that “learns” your writing style, and applies it to its predictive text algorithm, so that the suggested corrections are applied with increasing accuracy over time.  And if your thumb-typing capability is as lame as mine, you’re probably going to think that that would be $0.99 well spent.  Available… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Who says Apple is the only company that can make a thin, sleek notebook computer? One look at the refreshed Dell Adamo 13.4″ notebook and it is clear that even a Dell can build a machine that makes you go “Wow!” The Adamo is gorgeous and is available in either silver aluminum with unique etching and pearl finish or onyx aluminum with brushed finish. Both look amazing. The ultra-thin computer feature a “machined, torsion-tested aluminum chassis”, a full-size backlit keyboard, an ultra-compact power adapter, Windows 7 64-bit, 2GB DDR3 800MHz RAM, 128GB SSDWireless-N, Bluetooth 2.1, an Ethernet port and nearly 5 hours battery life. The unit in this Gear Deal is a refreshed version… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

As the Old Fart of your Gear Diary team, I am allowed to say stuff like the following: “Back in my day, we didn’t have no fancy-pants eeeelectronic tickets!  Nosir!  We had paper tickets!  And we were glad to get them!  And we carried them up them push up steps to the air-o-plane!  In a blizzard!  Yup!  They wuz men in those days!” I kid.  But seriously:  as someone old enough to remember the air travel paper ticket era, I have often wondered how anyone ever managed to make it to the right destination in those days.  And no wonder so much flippin’ luggage was lost! But we do have computers now.  And… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A number of months ago I realized that I needed to choose an e-book platform and stick with it. It made no sense for me to buy some books through Amazon’s Kindle portal and other books through Apple’s iBooks. I needed to choose one or the other and stick with it so that I was consistent in where my books were and how I could access them. Ultimately I decided to go with the Kindle application. My reasons for this were quite simple and clear. First, I already owned a huge number of books that were sitting in my Amazon Kindle account. Second, while iBooks will likely be accessible only through Apple’s cadre of… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The regular onslaught  of weekly smartphone announcements highlighting the latest offerings running Android or the upcoming Windows Phone 7 OS, it’s very easy for Motorola’s ES400 to get lost in the mix.   The device doesn’t immediately scream ‘sexy’ and it’s running Windows Mobile 6.5.   Yes, I said 6.5! So why on earth should you even care about the ES400?   Read on to see why this semi-rugged and enterprise-ready handheld may be exactly what your business needs. Let’s be clear who the target audience for the Motorola ES400 is.   It’s not the tween texter.  It’s not… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Something great is coming, that is what Suzuki is telling me with the arrival of its all-new sport sedan Kizashi (pronounced Kee-Zah-Shee) model. So let me get this straight, this new vehicle is the something great or this car is the messenger telling us something great is coming? Either way, in my opinion something great is already here – the 2011 Suzuki Kizashi SLS Sport. Many hold strong to the “first impressions are usually right” theory and my first impressions of this car are very positive. I remember Kizashi arriving in concept form a couple of years ago and looked forward… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

No matter how long you think your mobile devices can maintain a full day’s charge, you’re going to be put to the test.   It’s always  going to be a race to find an outlet or to boot up your computer  as your phone’s battery starts to fade out completely.   It’s happened to me plenty of times.   When I’m at a conference.   When I’m at a meeting.   When I’m rushing to catch a flight.   No time is a good time, either.   When that battery does go, you’re in a lonely world.   No email, no calls, no texts, no twitter or Facebook updates. Let’s face it.  Our mobile devices are our lifelines to friends, family and colleagues.   They can help… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We are all feeling the financial pinch!    Blue Plate Special is a weekly review of bargain apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Nothing over $.99. As an educator and parent of a kindergarten student, flashcards are always a part of my life.  Many of my students make them for each test for a variety of subjects.  Coincidentally, the students who put the time in to make the cards seem to always make above average grades.  My son is learning to read and has a couple of sight words added each week.  We have two sets of flashcards… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I am just about never without earbuds or headphones of any type, and I am always looking for my next set since I seem to kill at least two sets of earbuds or headphones a year.  So when someone like Munitio e-mails me with something unique , like these Teknine headphones, I take notice. Munitio’s Teknine Earphones are machined from a high density copper alloy, coated in titanium and a 9mm neodymium driver inserted.  They also happen to look like a 9 mm bullet or at least the leftover shell from one!  They are available in 3 colors: Deep Gold, Titanium and 18 K Plated Gold.  Prices range… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the neat trends made possible by computerization and automation is the ability to create unique, one of a kind products quickly, simply, and inexpensively. A terrific example of this is Case-Mates DIY case for the iPhone 4. Case-Mate lets you create your own case using one of the artistic renderings they have in their gallery or by uploading your own image. In other words, you get to create EXACTLY the case YOU want. And it gets better. In both instances the case will be created and shipped the next day. Think about that for a second– you can go on your computer, create a totally unique iPhone case and have it shipped… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today’s Gear Deal is actually a number of different deals since the newly redesigned HP Pavilion dv6t Select Edition Laptop includes the option of a multi-touch screen and a choice of a Core i3, a i5 or a powerful Core i7 Quad processor. The HP dv6 is just 1.21″ thick and weighs 5.5 lbs. It has a brushed aluminum finish. In addition to the optional Multi-touch screen, you can also choose to upgrade it with Blu-ray, your choice of processor, a Fingerprint Reader, a Backlit keyboard, and 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 of switachable graphics. You can save up to $350 depending upon the configuration In addition, HP is also offering a free… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Poor “Nag.” The word almost always has a negative connotation. Think about it: can you recall a recent conversation in which you’ve heard “nag” used as a verb and not had it mean something unpleasant? Well, Electric Pocket’s new iOS app might just cast “nag” in an entirely new light. Just the other day, our friends over at Electric Pocket, makers of BugMe! and BookLover, sent us a note announcing their latest iPhone app, appropriately titled “Nag.” It’s a simple app that nags you at a time of your choosing. Seems simple enough, and it is. I downloaded the app, grabbed a magazine, and headed out into the backyard. Now, I knew I had… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The iPhone and iPad have spawned hundreds of apps for guitar players.  It has been truly exciting seeing the genre build and develop over the past year.  I have actually reviewed several of these apps and use them regularly while I jam at my house.  PocketAmp AmpKit Amplitube Tab ToolKit Guitar ToolKit The only problem I have found with these apps is where to place my iPhone.  I usually balance it on my leg or leave it on the couch.  Either way, I end up in an awkward posture which is a terrible habit to form as a guitar player.  Recently, I thought it would be nice if I… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

XtremeMac makes a host of accessories for Apple’s various products. They have been, and will continue to, roll out accessories for the iPhone 4. We have a few early examples to share with you over the next few days so let’s jump in with the first one… the XtremeMac TuffWrap for iPhone 4. The TuffWrap is a simple, form-fitting case for the iPhone 4 which, at an MSRP of $19.99 is an affordable way to protect the delicate device. From XtremeMac- Protect your iPhone in style. Tuffwrap is a durable silicone case available in a variety of the latest colors Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Some of my favorite movies over the years have been movies like Spies Like Us, WarGames, True Lies, Under Siege and the 007 Movies.  In some of those movies, you’d see the hero or the antagonist slam a case on the counter and unlock it, flip open some heavy-duty double throw latches and open up a watertight, dust proof container and get a computer or some other equipment out.  These are the images that came to mind as I opened Pelican’s 1015 Laptop Overnight Case or the 1015 LOC. Pelican is synonymous with robust and strong cases of all sorts for storing and transporting delicate equipment.  Now they have brought something out that is a little more practical for the common… Continue reading on Gear Diary …