Dan and I met with Gabe Foo and Charmaine Garcia from Seagate, where we got a look at some of their new 2011 hard drives. Streaming content, networked backups, and smaller hard drives with faster speeds were some of the highlights. A new partnership with Gear Diary favorite ioSafe was a pleasant surprise. And we look forward to learning more tomorrow since details were scant. This was the statement we got from ioSafe: ioSafe and Seagate have complementary technologies and are working collaboratively to provide solutions that will make it easier for customers to better protect their data. Stay tuned for more news! Intriguing! Seagate’s GoFlex product line lives… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Everyone has that one friend or family member that seems to be the guy you go to when having car troubles. CarCheckup recently sent me their latest automotive scanner and data logger to review, so I happily obliged and ran it for a few days in a late model Mazda 3. The CarCheckup is kind of like swiss army tool for your automotive computer and does a great job exporting the data to a very usable and readable format. The device is a small plastic module that connects to your OBDII port under your dash which is a direct link to the car’s computer. There are no switches, buttons, setup, or special instructions. I had some time to… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have been replaying N.O.V.A. on the iPad alongside the newly released PSP Minis version, and my biggest complaint about the iOS version is the same as with every other shooter – I lose track of where my thumbs are and end up drifting off of the virtual joystick. Now the folks at TenOneDesign have a solution seemingly designed just for me: fling, a detachable joystick for the iPad! Here are some details from their site: Fling is the joystick you’ve always wanted Patent pending tactile interface for your iPad Auto-centering for max control over your game Unique transparent design provides an unrestricted view of all the incoming action Quick and easy suction Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Clean out your inboxes and keep your smartphones charged – two of the biggest events of the year are about to bombard the (tech-savvy/info-hungry) world with headlines, sound bites and image overload. CES kicks off the new year with the annual “everything electronics” show this week in Las Vegas and right on the heels of that comes press days at the North American International Auto Show out of Detroit. Both shows will undoubtedly be celebrating a rebound-of-sorts of the economy while looking towards a brighter, GREENER future. While the crack GearDiary team will be providing up-to-the-minute coverage from the show floor(s) in Vegas, baby, I will do my best to spin the motor city news into… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last August I reviewed the DS and PC versions of Puzzle Quest 2. The quick summary of my review is that “the game made good as a true sequel to the “Casual Meets Hardcore and Loves It!” surprise hit from 2007″. In early December Puzzle Quest 2 arrived on the iTunes App Store in the form of a Universal app with Game Center support. So how did it do in the translation? The Hype: Puzzle Quest 2 marks the return of the world’s leading puzzle adventure series and its trademark blend of match 3 gem-based gameplay and fantasy role-playing. Rewarding and accessible for all levels of gamer, it… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Foursquare, that cute little services that lets you check in at a venue to let others know you are there, share and read tips about the place and, if you check in often enough, become the Fourquare mayor of the location, has teamed up with CES this year to make things a bit more fun. Last year we had a good time “checking” in constantly. I even earned my one, temporary, mayorship… Yes for a few brief hours I was the major of one of the Vegas Strip tram stops. By teaming up with 2011 International CES, Foursquare… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

On Sunday I needed a way to shoot the video of me packing for CES for our No Baggage Challenge for Charity. Problem was, no one was home but me. No problem… I put a screw between slats in the ceiling (it is a post and beam house so there isn’t even a hole now) hooked my JOBY Gorillamobile to it, hung my Canon G11 upside down and shot down from above. It worked great! All this goes to say that… I Am A Huge Fan Of JOBY’S Products!!! Well JOBY has two new products to love and they are for my, and probably your, favorite device. The JOBY GorillaMobile Ori for iPad and GorillaMobile… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

No fancy engravings; no CEOs talking about how they’re “magical” or “going to change the way we think of computers . . . forever!”; no spectacular launches with fireworks and drooling fanboys.  But Lenovo keeps marching on, releasing solid, reliable laptops that businesses everywhere turn to when they need “another 500 please”.  A workhorse, really.  Heck, four of the last five laptops I’ve been issued by companies have been Lenovos of one variety or another.  They never blow me away, but they always seem to do just fine for what I need. And at CES this week, Lenovo will be demonstrating their newest systems.  And there’s little doubt in my mind that the new models–the … Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I love corporate thrillers. One of my favorite books of all time is “Paranoia” by Joseph Finder, an awesome espionage/thriller with cool twists. However, despite being a big geek words like “silicon” and “graphics chip” don’t really pique my interest. However, AMD has put together an AWESOME trailer for their newest chips, and if this doesn’t make you at least a little curious about their CES announcements, well, you’re clearly not an action fan! Check out their pre-CES trailer, and stay tuned to Gear Diary for more CES coverage all week long! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Nintendo has done an amazing job over the last several years of actually growing the pool of gamers with the age-proof DS handheld and Wii console. While the XBOX360 and PS3 are largely pushing out the same sorts of games as their predecessors – albeit with better graphics – Nintendo managed to actually broaden the pool of games. But at the same time, there is no escaping the strong appeal of their handheld gaming systems – particularly the DS – with younger kids. While a decade or so ago my own kids enjoyed PC & Mac games from the Jump Start series and others, most of the new ‘edutainment’ titles are coming out on… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

So you’re on vacation.  To Puerto Vallarta, maybe.  Or perhaps you just hopped over to the Jersey shore for some wintertime surfing.  Or maybe you want to watch the action in Santa Cruz at the Cold Water Classic.  I dunno.  But you want to film it, whatever it is.  So what cam do you use? Yo, it’s wet by the ocean, you know? Swann Security has a new waterproof mini video recorder that’s the ticket for you.  Waterprooof up to 65 feet, bundles of clips to attach it to whatever you desire, and shockproof to boot, it’s all yours for at an MSRP of $99.  Check out the Swann booth at CES (if you’re there!)… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Yup, time for another CES news item!  Why?  Because it’s the gear convention, kids, and we’re Gear Diary, that’s why! Cell carrier Cricket Communications announced that they will debut their new music service, Muve Music (I guess pronounced “move”?), a new wireless rate plan that comes with unlimited music and the new Samsung Suede (SCH-r170).  The service prices out at $55/month, with (as far as I can see) unlimited everything.  And honestly, it’s my sincere hope that this move by Cricket back to the idea of “unlimited” is merely a precursor to other carriers doing the same, because I’m heartily sick of receiving messages from AT&T about “approaching your data limits”.  So surf on Continue reading on Gear Diary …

For a couple of years that seemed kind of dead to me (at least with regard to tablets and UMPCs), one thing that did develop was the netbook.  For my kids, for example, one holiday we got them both Asus Eees running Linux.  But along came the Mac Mini and the iPad and the MacBook Air, and the game is really changing in the marketplace.  I don’t know what you’d call them–ultra-portables, maybe?  High-end netbooks?  Mini laptops?  Screenless PCs?  I’m at a loss. Like with the Giada DN2301-ION “mini PC”.  Here’s what Giada has to say: Giada’s DN2301-ION Mini PC is a quiet, powerful unit with multimedia features that can fit well in a business Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Rich Adin has an editorial making the rounds of the ebook world today, where he argues that B&N should snap Borders up for several strategic reasons. His reasons aren’t bad, per se, but I think he underestimates much of the risks and pitfalls in his ideas, and they come from a more idealist view than a realistic business one. Let’s go through his ideas one by one and I’ll interject where I disagree: First, it can immediately close all the b&m stores that currently compete with its own brand. This would increase traffic to its own brand for those of us who like to shop at real bookstores rather than virtual  Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The first leg of the No Baggage challenge-getting to Vegas! Dan’s travels: Larry’s journey: Remember, this NoBC is to benefit Haiti Plunge. Please support their good work. Stay tuned all week for more on the NoBC and of course Gear Diary’s amazing coverage of CES!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …