Back in the ‘old’ days of 2009, you typically had your smartphone then paid for a separate voice-application to give yourself some hands-free capabilities. One of those applications has been the very popular Vlingo. Now, just like the Plantronics and Dial2Do partnership that came last year, Vlingo and bluetooth device manufacturer BlueAnt have come together at CES to show a wonderful marriage of hardware and voice-integrated software. So, beginning Q2 of 2011 if you purchase a BlueAnt bluetooth headset or speakerphone you will be getting Vlingo’s features for free. What’s great about that is it will work regardless of whether you use an Android phone, BlackBerry, iPhone or just about any other smartphone out there today. You’ll be able to do voice searches, update your social networks without typing a keystroke, have your emails read back to you via text-to-speech and even open 3rd party apps on your smartphone. Upgrade your phone? No worries. All those features are now right in your bluetooth equipment. Pair it to your new phone and you’re all set. And no extra apps to purchase! Read on to view the full press release and feature list.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Sorry for the kinda poor resolution of the image of MicroVision’s new “mini-tablet”; since they’re demoing their new tech at CES, they’ve been holding it kind of close to their chests, and it’s the only one I have.  So you’ll have to squint at it just a bit and imagine that that teeny device is actually a mobile (non-cellular) tablet that features a laser display engine for projecting stuff.  You know:  you can put up images on the screen or the wall from that bitty little thing.  Really!  No word yet as to price, but given the market value on tablets, and the price of their other devices, my guess is that it… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The press conference with Skype brought some important news. There were 90 billion minutes of calls on Skype last year. Video is the next big thing in communication. They launched Skype for iPhone on New Years Eve. First day saw four million downloads and one million video calls! Then came the big news. Just announced that they have purchased qik. Also announced group video calls that let up to ten people talk at a time. Also adding more companies such as Visio and Sony into the live innovation. Panasonic is also  adding Skype technology blueray players. All exciting news for Skype users!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Yesterday I got an email from Nintendo titled “Nintendo DS and Wii Set New U.S. Sales Records in 2010″. The email touted a few figures, and here is a snippet: According to Nintendo’s internal sales figures, the Nintendo DS™ family of portable video game systems has sold more than 47 million in the United States since the original model launched in November 2004. That tally makes Nintendo DS the nation’s best-selling video game system of all time. For the second major milestone of 2010, Nintendo’s internal figures show that the Wii™ home console marked its third consecutive calendar year with U.S. sales of more than 7 million – a feat never before Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s funny, really.  Just yesterday my 12 year-old son Joseph was asking me, “Dad, what does SSHD stand for?”  I’m a geek, of course, so I immediately answered “Solid state hard drive.  But why would that be in something you’re reading, Joseph?”  (Turns out he was looking at some nerd catalog or other, and the term/acronym was being used there.) So it’s with full knowledge of my son Joseph that I mention the new products by Other World Computing (OWC), which include both solid-state and SATA hard drives for the netbook and subnetbook market.  And frankly, I assume that’s it’s not too very long from now when these will be hooking up with tablets and… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When I was a kid I always wanted to live in a futuristic house. Like the Jetsons! Now that I’m older, I’d be happy to live in a house that adjusted the heat, knew when it was time to turn the lights on and boot me out of bed, and could self-repair. Well, so far my house hasn’t show any regenerative properties (sadly) but Somfy at least has a solution for the first two! Their new home automation setup can kick the heat on and off on your schedule and even open and close the blinds for you! The best part: You can hop Continue reading on Gear Diary …

GPS saves me a lot of hassle. I’m certainly not a human compass, and — especially if traveling to an unfamiliar city — chances are I will get lost at least once if I don’t have a GPS device or very good directions. Looking around for street signs and calculating turns is fine, but what if your GPS was so smart it knew to turn at a specific building or shopping center? That’s exactly what NAVTEQ and NNG are showing at CES. The iGo My way uses NAVTEQ Natural Guidance™ to give you directions in a more intuitive method, rather than the linear “turn right in 300 feet” option that so many of our GPS… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Image courtesy of Wired One of the big problems with remote exploration using automated systems is figuring out what is important and using that information to make decisions that will allow you to alter your collection plans to gain more information during the study. When sending an automated exploration vehicle to Mars, those problems are amplified enormously – space and power become a huge issue. Look at this example from a new article at PhotonicsOnline: After NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit examined an outcrop called “Comanche” in 2005, it took years of analyzing indirect evidence before the team could confidently infer the presence of carbon in the rock. A single Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This morning I got a couple of emails from Apple, but the one that immediately grabbed my attention was “The Mac App Store. Grand opening today.” There isn’t much to tell as of yet – there are over 1,000 apps loaded up and ready to go, and the process of checking everything out is as simple as using the iTunes App Store! I haven’t bought anything yet, as I took care of iLife, MS Office and MobileMe before the holidays. One thing to note: as stated in the press release below, to get the App Store you need to grab the OS X 10.6.6 update. If you don’t have Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s CES time and of course Iomega has to get into the act with three new product releases.   One iPhone related and 2 home media related. First up is the Iomega SuperHero Backup Dock and Charger.  Not only will this dock charge your iPhone, but it will back it up as well. Iomega’s new SuperHero Backup and Charger for iPhone is a compact docking station device that sits on your counter, desktop or nightstand and plugs directly into a wall outlet. Ideal for travel, too, the SuperHero Backup and Charger comes complete with a 4GB SD card that provides the storage in the docking station Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of our favorite family activities is going for long hikes. We have a few trails we love in the area, but we’re always debating how far we’ve gone; was that one mile or two? Are we on trail a or trail b? Are you SURE this was the way back to the car? In addition, my brother and I are going to complete the Run A Muck 5k again this year. We did it last year on basically no training and had a blast, but I’m positive I can lop off a big chunk of time with some trail running this spring. However, I was born with the world’s worst sense of direction… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Aside from liking his short stint on Ally McBeal back in the 90′s I have never been a fan of Josh Groban. As for Kanye West, I have been poring over his latest recording and trying to come up with a review that says more than ‘interesting music ruined whenever Mr. West opens his damn mouth’! But put them together? Pure gold! This cool video reminds me of some of the great fake commercials from Saturday Night Live and In Living Color in years past … and is simply worth watching. The overly dramatic tone of Groban’s great voice with the self-centered banality of Kanye West’s tweets … Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Remember when a television was just the large box that showed pictures?!?  Television technology has seemed to change quickly and drastically in the past few years.  My kids saw an old standard tube television and laughed at it recently.  They could not believe that not long before they were born, we had one ourselves.  Hillcrest Labs is pushing this technology yet another step by announcing new motion controlled televisions.  Two products have been released today at CES so I will include both press releases. LAS VEGAS, NV and ROCKVILLE, MD — January 5, 2011 — Hillcrest Labs, a leader in motion-control technology and interactive television applications, today announced a new Continue reading on Gear Diary …

British TV; it’s just . . . different, isn’t it?  Maybe you’re a Dr. Who fanatic.  Maybe you’re looking forward to the next episode of Primeval.  Or you like to go around and find terrorists with the folks on MI-5 (called “Spooks” in the UK).  In my case, even though I’m not a “petrol head” (as they call car fanatics in England), I have grown to dearly love Top Gear, a car show with that particular British twist. So if you’re like me, you might be interested to know that Speakal is releasing a new pair of speakers for your iPhone–as you can see above, the helmet of The Stig from Top Gear, and Tardis… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The Kindle app is now officially on every major smartphone platform except WebOS and Symbian. As of today it’s available on the new and improved Windows Phone 7, which is exciting if you’ve been seduced by these new phones and their “spend less time with your phone” marketing. Unfortunately, the Kindle app will force you to spend MORE time on your phone, but it’s at least for reading and not tweeting, right? However, it’s Gear Diary’s own Michael Anderson who wins best commentary on this news. He had not one, but TWO great observations on this news. As he put it, “All 40 people who bought a Windows Phone are thrilled!”. Then he announced he’s planning to… Continue reading on Gear Diary …