photo credit: taivasalla As we brace for yet another winter storm here in the northeast (two actually but who’s counting) we can at least take some measure of comfort in knowing that January is finally over. [Now we just have to get through February and the first part of March and maybe, just maybe by then the snow will be gone.] January was a busy month for us. It began with CES 2011 and just kept right on going. At last count we had over… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last week was my in-laws 40th wedding anniversary. We wanted to send them into Manhattan for a weekend filled with the symphony, good food and a great hotel with a view of Central Park. It all came together at the last minute and we ran into a bit of a problem trying to prepay everything that they would be doing. The hotel and both restaurants (one for dinner and one for brunch) required us to sign a number of papers and fax them back so that our credit card could be charged. The problem was, we were up in the country and don’t have a fax machine there. What to do? iPhone and iPad to the rescue Two of… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m a huge fan of Epson’s printers. I find they work well, offer a huge range of excellent features and are priced competitively. A while back I had the chance to review their Epson Workforce 600 all-in-one printer/fax/copier. I was impressed and continued to use it until my father needed a printer. I gave it to him and he used it until a friend broke it while trying to replace the printer cartridge. (Don’t ask!) When I asked my father what he wanted to replace it he replied, “The exact same one.” That says it all. Over the past few weeks I’ve been checking out a very different Epson printer, the Epson Artisan… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have an iPad, an iPhone and a nano. Each of them gets a serious amount of use and, at times, they all need to be charged at the same time. Up until recently I either had a number of different charging cords strewn across my desk or I used the IDAPT i4 we reviewed a few months ago. The iDAPT works great but I have always had a bit of concern regarding placing the iPhone on the adapter since it doesn’t have much support keeping the device vertical. There’s no ISSUE but I always worry that if I bump it there might be. That’s why I was so intrigued when Francis and I… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

My three and six year old sons are definitely a chip off the old block. They are both gamers (even though we limit them) and love technology and all of my gadgets. They both are heavy iPhone users with the oldest even being able to search for free apps on the app store. I do not let them use my iPad unless we are using it together since replacing it is not in my budget, but when they get a chance, they love to get their hands on it. I also love being able to review kid friendly items and we always use it as a bonding experience. Disney was kind enough to allow… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Our smartphones are very rarely ‘just phones’ for making phone calls these days.  More and more, we are using our smartphones as one of our primary means to access and share our media.  One of the biggest constraints, as a consumer, is having to take your music, photo or video collection and figure out how to share content between multiple devices. Apple gave iOS device users AirPlay, giving the ability to stream content from iPads and iPhones to their Television via AppleTV.  Skifta took this concept a step forward at this year’s CES, by showing how their Android application can stream digital media to certified DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) devices like TVs, IP-connected stereos, Playstation®3 consoles, and Windows 7 PCs.    Forget having to purchase or… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

In my travels, one of the constants is this:  ”Oh, crap, I left my adapter behind again!”  As a result, I have ended purchasing, in multiple airport shops (“Where the Desperate Traveler Goes To Buy Critical Gear!”), both adapters and spare power packs.  These have never been a waste of money–I have left them salted here and there, where they have provided quick relief not only for myself (“Oh, thank god I left that here!”) to Sami (“Do we have a power supply anywhere that fits this?”) to the kids (“Papa, I can’t find my iPhone plug!”).  So adapters and power packs and me, we be buds. One of the power packs I purchased (in… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! This week we get the first DLC for Call of Duty: Black Ops – First Strike as the biggest overall release. Aside from that there are some fun looking releases such as Alien Breed 3: Descent and Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 and Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 . I am still hoping that THIS will be the week that Venetica will arrive … and also Two Worlds II for the PC. And there are a few other releases this week – read on to find out! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I quite like Speck products.  How well do I like them?  Well, I waited for several extra weeks to get a Speck case for free (as part of the whole “Antenna-Gate” thing last summer), rather than a different case.  I wanted a good looking, useful, protective case; not some random piece of colored plastic to throw on there to avoid bad reception.  (The fact that Apple chose Speck’s cases as one of those to give away with the iPhone 4 should tell you a lot–Apple doesn’t exactly endorse easily.)  And right now, I’m trying out a Speck laptop “get you through the TSA kabuki dance” laptop case, as well.  Plus they get bonus points from me… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

With the departure of my 24″ iMac to its new home with a friend’s family yesterday we no longer have a computer with a mechanical drive. Yes, we do have spinning hard drives but those are just for backup purposes. Any computers in the house now have solid state storage. I love it! I love the speed. I love the silence. I love the way they run far cooler than their spinning cousins. If you have been thinking of swapping your laptop’s drive for a solid state version our Gear Sponsor has a deal for you! For today only you can get OCZ’s 120GB Vertex 2 Solid State Drive for under $170. The drive… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Football mania is in high gear, and it seems that Jabra’s Bluetooth headsets and speakerphones have recently become favorites of three NFL players – Jake Long, Brian Orakpo and Michael Griffin. As a recent press release notes, Whether they’re rocking out to tunes after practice, kicking back at night with video games, or passing the time watching Hulu or YouTube on the weekends, Jabra’s headsets and speakerphones offer wireless connectivity in-style – and with a 30 foot operating range. Jabra’s catalog is extensive, but there are 5 key products in the current Jabra lineup that stand out. Among them — the STONE2, the CRUISER, the HALO, the CLIPPER, and the EXTREME. Here is a… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Wii owners can rejoice with this unique artistic game accessory and included uDraw Studio game that lets players create and save works on SD cards.

You can keep up with the situation in Egypt on al Jazeera English . . . if you could get it on U.S. TV Right now, Egypt is undergoing a major upheaval, the kind of thing that may or may not lead to a new Egyptian government, and the first new Egyptian leader after nearly 30 years.  And interestingly to me (from the gear perspective) is that this is basically not being covered on American TV.  With a few shining exceptions like Richard Engel on NBC–who speaks fluent Arabic and lived in Cairo for 5 years–the number of Arab/North Africa/Mid-Eastern “experts” on American TV is very small, and there is also hardly anyone… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I always feel a little odd when I see news items by Genius.  For one thing, it’s the name; I mean, kinda arrogant, don’t you think?  It would be like renaming myself “Brilliant Moran”, or something.  And for another, they’re centered in Taiwan, the same place from which we adopted Joseph.  (Different town, though.) And speaking of Joseph, although he is too old for this particular product, I kinda wish it had been around when he was the right age.  Genius’ new product is a wee tablet for the kiddles; a 5×8″ screen/contact/working area where your little ones can play various games.  Targeted for kids three to eight years old, this will give an… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Have you beaten all the “regular” Angry Birds levels, and even conquered Angry Birds Seasons? Do you open the game and admire all your 3-star levels and awesome high scores? Well get your flinging fingers limbered up…because a new Angry Birds is coming this spring! Fox has the new animated movie “Rio” coming out this spring, about birds…Rovio has a game about birds. It’s a match made in casual gaming heaven! No word on the exact release time beyond March 2011, but the trailer makes me very excited for the game! Via Androidcentral Continue reading on Gear Diary …