Today at CES OtterBox announced its latest case offering. Named the Reflex, the case features a hybrid like design which is meant to cushion your device from shock and impact. When the case lunches in Q1 it will be available for the iPhone and BlackBerry curve in both gray or pink. The case features a two piece design which allows for easy docking of your device. You can learn more about the new line of cases by reading the company’s press release located here. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Garmin has been the undisputed leader of GPS running watches for several years. Timex and Polar have similar devices, but neither has captured running hearts quite like the Garmin Forerunner line. Nike has the “poor man’s Garmin” with their Nike+ system, and at CES they stepped it up with a new GPS-based Nike watch. According to Nike: Starting April 1st, get the extra push you need with the Nike+ SportWatch GPS powered by TomTom. Not only does it track what you do, it tracks how you do it, then makes you want to do it again and again. Here’s how: It’s accurate. The Nike+ SportWatch GPS combines the accuracy of GPS with the shoe-based Continue reading on Gear Diary …

eBooks haven’t been a huge portion of this year’s CES; the big story has been tablets, tablets, tablets.  But that hasn’t stopped iRiver from announcing the iriver Story HD, an ebook reader they are claiming is the highest resolution, fastest ebook reader ever. The press release and the iriver site are light on details, but it certainly appears to be an eInk screen, and it supports Adobe DRM, meaning you can buy books from Kobo as well as borrow from your local library. No price news, except that it will be priced “competitively”. Based on other eInk wifi devices, I’d say that’s likely to put the price between $100 and $200. Anything above that is going to… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Yup, it’s time to tell you about more iGear accessories! Today we bring you some new releases from Kensington, which they’re calling “productivity accessories.” Specifically, Kensington is introducing a Back-Up Battery, Protective Band, Touch Screen Stylus and Pen, and Dual USB Wall Charger for you iDevices to their product line. Now, I don’t know The products are all pretty reasonably-priced–you can find the MSRPs below–and my experience with Kensington is that they’re pretty solid products. And I also know that having an extra power supply or wall charger is hardly ever a bad thing. So if you’re in the same boat, maybe you ought to surf on over and check their Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Since the best camera is the one that is with you, my iPhone is usually my go to device for photos on the go.  I have tried many different photo applications, but never any hardware accessories.  usbfever has introduced three new product offerings that include some gear for your iPhone 4 camera.   I have reviewed several products from usbfever and have been impressed with both the quality as well as the price of their products.  Here is a quick look at the three new offerings. Want to have a Super Telescope / Telephoto Lens to your iPhon 4? Now Continue reading on Gear Diary …

So CES is well underway, and we are running from sun-up until late at night. Along the way we are seeing all kinds of great tech, speaking to awesome people and… collecting tons of business cards. Well, actually, that’s not quite true. If this were last year we would be collecting tons of business cards but this isn’t last year and we aren’t collecting any business cards at all. Thanks to the Card Munch iPhone app and the generosity of the folks at Card Munch, Judie and I haven’t collected a single business card. Instead we take the cards, grab a picture of them using the app and then return the card to… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I spent some time this morning at the Iomega booth and had a chance to see their news Superhero dock for backing up and charging iPhones and iPod touches. The unassuming dock does a trick that, surprisingly had not been done before. The dock will charge your device but it will also backup photos and contacts to the included SD card. To use it you download the free app that will be available soon and then, whenever the device is docked the app will launch and back up the most precious content on it. It works with all generations of the ios devices except the iPad. In practicality the device is intended for… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(image courtesy Magnificent Vista) There’s a slight, baby, teeny-tiny glimmer of hope for Borders. Apparently they’re not quite dead yet. Late breaking news today indicated Borders is making inroads on restructuring their debt, AND they aren’t hiring bankruptcy lawyers. According to Bloomberg news: Borders Group Inc., the second- largest U.S. bookstore chain, surged in after-hours trading on a report that Jefferies & Co. is helping the company restructure its debt. The investment bank is advising the Ann Arbor, Michigan- based chain on reworking its debt load, the Wall Street Journal reported today, citing people familiar with the matter. Borders doesn’t have plans to hire bankruptcy Continue reading on Gear Diary …

“Installing Archerfish Solo is now as easy as screwing in a light bulb – literally.”  Okay, now we’re talking… a product tag line that promises something I can handle.  No drills, hammers, screwdrivers, or circular saws. The Archerfish Solo is advertised as “thinking camera” featuring “built-in Homeland Security technology” that allows it to interpret what it sees, so it only shows you what you want to see – those types of activities that made you install a security camera in the first place – rather than making you weed through hours of uneventful video. Cernium Corporation, makers of the Archerfish Solo, is showing off its latest product at CES. The… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Earlier today Dan brought us a quick post live from the CES floor, reporting on Skype’s new group video calling (and their Qik acquisition!) Now we have some more details on Skype’s new calling feature, straight from their press release. It certainly sounds like a great idea, and the prices look reasonable. Plus, if you’re one of the 5 people who own a computer without a built in webcam, you can get a discount off an HD one to kick off your video calling frenzy! Do More Together Wherever You Are with Skype Group Video Calling Skype Launches New Premium Package 2011 International CES LAS VEGAS, Nev.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Today… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Put on a fresh pot of coffee, day two in the CES Garage in Las Vegas was a busy one and includes such topics as in-car device charging, HD Radio, linking cars to people, finding your way, “SYNC”ing your ride, “Link”ing your ride, Blu-Ray in the car, Blue Link in the car, minimizing driver distraction, maximizing potential of the 4G networks and going your own way.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

At trade-show time, some folks bring out their one high-profile item–something that’s highly anticipated, or that people have been talking about a lot recently, or that’s in a hot market space, or that their company is basing their future on.  They may offer other products, but they have that One Big Thing. And then there’s the companies that like to come out with a bunch’a stuff. Netgear is definitely in the latter category.  Netgear is offering a whole host (18!) of new products, some for home, some for business.  If connectivity is what you’re after, and you need some equipment in that area, you would probably be remiss if you didn’t at least check… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Very exciting tablet details coming from T-Mobile at CES! Phillip Humm, T-Mobile CEO & president and CEO and Dr. JS Park, president and CEO of LG introduced the G-Slate from LG & T-Mobile. T-Mobile has fastest data in top 10 markets according to Nielsen. 900K 4G devices sold. T-Mobile is focused on affordable smartphones and tablets, aggressive plans and pricing, and rich and compelling services. Aggressive 4G data plans starting at $10/month. Data traffic on their network doubles every 12 months. Neville Ray, T-Mobile CTO, said that their network is 160% larger than Verizon’s new 4G, and 40% more major metro… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Corning’s Gorilla Glass has become the industry standard in just a few short years for an obvious reason: people don’t like their phones to shatter. While the glass isn’t completely indestructible, it has shown an unprecedented ability to resist scratches and breaks in normal use. The list of devices using the glass is impressive, and that is with some (ahem) well known users left off the list. Here is just a sampling: Handheld Devices * Dell: Aero, Streak, Venue Pro * LG: LG Mini, Arena TV, Ophone, Ally, Optimus 7 * Motorola: BACKFLIP, BRAVO, CHARM, CLIQ, CLIQ XT, DEFY, DEVOUR, DEXT, DROID, DROID 2, DROID 2 GLOBAL Continue reading on Gear Diary …

My body is a mess.  And I travel a lot. My knees have been a mess since my teen years as a goal keeper for various soccer teams.  I have a plate in my neck and chronic pain because of it.  Not to mention various bruises, abrasions, nagging aches and pains, and all the other stuff one accumulates over the course of a relatively active life.  Which all makes traveling and dragging that durn carry-on behind me a real pain.  Literally. Well, I didn’t know how good I had it until I read the info about the Walkin’ Bag products.  The creator of the design, Etsuo Miyoshi-san, is a polio survivor who decided–no doubt… Continue reading on Gear Diary …