Sometimes you just want a computer with power and you want it, no you NEED it, quickly. That’s what you will get with one of these Vostro 230 Mini Tower systems. The Dell Vostro is, “The first family of Dell computers designed specifically for small business. Vostro™ gives you the flexibility to choose exactly the PC you need—without cutting corners. Because when you’re looking for the perfect small-business desktop, you should never have to sacrifice dependability just to stay on budget.” It is small but it can be configured with Intel Core 2 Quad processors, up to 4GB DDR3 RAM and a whopping 2TB of hard-drive space. It is fast… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Generally speaking, I tend to buy eBooks over paper books. I like reading on my Kindle, and since I am usually reading more than one book at once it saves me the trouble of juggling several books on my nightstand or gear bag. My only major exception is if the book is not available in eBook form. I did trip across another reason to buy the paperback version over an eBook this week, though… That’s a screenshot of the listing for the Kindle edition of Michael Pollan’s “In Defense of Food”. Note that Amazon makes sure to tell you this price was set Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If the malls around you are anything like they are around here, you would probably have seen a gadget just like this, zooming around in the atrium area (or any other central location with a high-enough ceiling).  Little, itty-bitty radio-controlled helicopter.  They look cool, and the first thing my son Joseph (12) said when he saw it was, “Can we get one?”  (Answer:  No!) But this one is a little different.  Instead of some big, bulky, battery-powered thingamajig to steer, this baby steers with an app.  (Yeah, yeah; “there’s an app for that;” I know.)  Which I think is quite cool, since one of the things I dislike about radio-controlled anythings is that they all… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the things that I never understood very well before I got a Mac myself was the plethora of plug-in speaker thingies that lots of all-Apple households seem to have.  Yeah, they looked nice and seemed sorta-convenient, but I just didn’t get it.  Now, slowly, since my acquisition of a MacBook Pro with some really nice speakers (not to mention a beautiful screen that makes my Lenovo T-61 look like a sick puppy), I’m beginning to get it. Of course, there’s going to be plenty of people way out there ahead of me.  Like the guys from Paul Frank Industries and SpeakerCraft, who have decided to glom their two products together into that speaker-monkey… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

You see that big ol’ grin on my face? Simply put, it’s because I’ve finally found the perfect trench coat! When done correctly, a woman’s trench coat is the perfect jacket. A trench keeps its wearer warm, but it isn’t too heavy; trench coats are belted, so the woman wearing one gains an instant hourglass figure — whether she has one or not! The right trench coat can add instant sophistication to even the most basic outfit; but best of all, a well-cut trench coat can hide a multitude of figure flaws while taking an outfit from day to night. Scott Jordan let us know last October that SCOTTEVEST would be coming out with… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Switching to a Mac is exciting and fun, but if you’re coming from Windows it can be quite intimidating. Luckily, the enterprising developers at It’s About Time have a handy app to make that easier for you. Normally it’s $24.95, or bundled as part of a $99 Parallels deal, but right now in the Mac App Store it’s at the bargain bin price of just $0.99! At that price, even if you’re not a total mac newbie you may want to see if there’s any new tricks you don’t already know! Check out the video demo, and then let us know in the comments if you’ve used this software!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’m going to admit this right up front:  this post contains editorial information in addition to the basic news information about the new NewsCorp daily publication, The Daily.  I’m not the expert in ePublications that Carly is, not by a long stretch, but I have been a close observer of the Internet and the Web since nearly their birthing seasons (I’ve been working in the tech industry since ’87), specifically in writing technical documentation, especially for online.  So I have some opinions on this new publication.  I hope you don’t mind.  But if you do–and some of you may–I urge you to… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Possibly just in time for Valentine’s day, but definitely in time for graduation or late spring and summer birthdays, comes the ultimate gift for any Star Wars aficionado: Star Wars: Frames. Imagine if you will, George Lucas sitting in his office with every Star Wars movie at his disposal. Imagine him sorting through millions of individual frames as he picks and chooses his favorites; every battle, every character’s emotion, every iconic scene laid out in front of him. The result of his selection process would ultimately become Star Wars: Frames, an 1,138 copies limited edition. Each set comes in an art deco-inspired wooden box, each includes a certificate personally signed by… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(if you’d like to vote, head to Gatekeeper’s Post now!) Welcome to another State of the eBook! Hopefully you’ve had some good books to keep you warm this winter (and not in the book-burning way). Despite the quiet hardware cycle, we’ve had some big developments behind the scenes. What started as a sleepy winter may lead into a a fairly explosive spring! Why is that? Read on to find out! Android: This is a bit of a mixed bag right now. On the upside, it’s looking like the Xoom will be hitting stores by the end of February, not to mention all the other exciting tablets coming out this spring. Android has quickly become equal… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The most exciting thing I saw at CES was the Motorola Atrix. Taken on its own it is a nice Android handset that, running a dual-core processor, screams. Taken in the context of all its accessories, from the laptop dock to the media cradle, it is an amazing piece of technology. With the Atrix and its accessories your phone can effectively become the brain for ALL your computing. What was not clear at the time was when the handset would be released and what it would cost. Well the word is out and, once again, the response proves that there is never a way to make everyone happy. On contract the phone will be just… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It’s a bit shameful, but I still watch “Grey’s Anatomy”. It’s my soapy guilty pleasure! I settled in last night to catch up on last night’s episode, and was surprised to discover that surgeons using Twitter was a big part of the storyline! I won’t spoil it for you, but I will say that even when the jokes were predictable (like the Chief mistakenly saying he wanted to check out Dr. Bailey’s ‘tits’ not her ‘tweets’), it was a cute storyline, plus the power of social media saved the day. You can check out the full episode on Hulu below! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

photo credit: Trish Hamme Off&On/FlickringSlowly/ThankYou When my Siamese cat Shika was alive I would often play with her by shining a small flashlight on the wall in a dark room. Shika, always on the prowl, would then try to swat what she thought was a fly. I thought it was hilarious… My spouse found it less so. Well fast forward to A.i. (after iPad) and there is a whole new way to “play” with your cat. And we aren’t just talking house cats. No we’re talking king of the jungle cats. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

No, you won’t have it in time for the big game tomorrow but if the Super Bowl has reminded you that it is time to upgrade your TV today’s deal might be for you. Today’s Weekend Gear Deal brings us LG’s 32LE5300 32″ LED LCD HDTV. The HDTV features LED backlighting, TruMotion 120Hz, 1080p resolution, a 3,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and much more. The TV is on sale for $899.99 less $400 instant savings AND a $60 coupon code. That brings the price down to just $439.99. Add in the fact that it will ship for FREE and there is no tax in most states and this makes for a pretty sweet deal… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Another great weekend filled with deals sure to ‘Bowl’ you over! OK, I’ll stop now! Everyone is getting in on the action with great deals, so let’s get right to them. And as always thanks to the crew at Deals4Downloads for their help finding everything. So let’s get straight to the deals! Good Old Games: Apogee Games Weekend Sale – 50% off the whole set, or 20% off individually Apogee Pack (PC) for $14.95*, Save 50% Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold (PC) for $4.79*, Save 20% Blake Stone: Planet Strike (PC) for $4.79*, Save 20% Duke Nukem 3D Atomic Edition Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Are all iPad cases starting to look the same to you? If so fear not, the DigiPower’s Coffee Clutch will break you out of your “iPad-case-alike doldrums” with ease. The case/stand takes an unusual approach to protecting the iPad while adding an ever-present stand and a great “grab and go” handle. Let’s take a look. From DigiPower: The Coffee Clutch is both a versatile carry case and a lightweight portable stand. Its unique and fun style makes it a must-have accessory for the iPad. Among the features: Easy to use on your desktop or on your Continue reading on Gear Diary …