There is an interesting article that appeared in yesterday’s Financial Times. The article makes the point that smartphones are a tremendous distraction when used in meetings and classrooms. The cure? Tablets like the iPad and Motorola Xoom. Before you dismiss it hear the author out. The article picks up off of an MP delivering a speech in the House of Commons using his iPod. (As someone who uses the iPad for services, weddings and funerals this isn’t all that newsworthy for me but, then again, I’m far from the norm.) Shortly thereafter the Speaker of the House said that he could no longer see a reason to ban tablets “so long as they… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

You know that commercial about ‘when once in a lifetime meant once in a lifetime’? Well, I just got an email about an event that is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity! As noted in the picture above, jazz guitar legend is going to be teaching a 5-day intensive workshop in Norwich, CT this August and bringing along his trio-mates Christian McBride (bass) and Antonio Sanchez (drums). Here are some details about the workshop : The National Guitar Workshop is proud to announce this exclusive workshop with world- renowned jazz musician Pat Metheny. This special event is a rare opportunity to study in an intimate setting with Pat and his trio Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Good news for Harry Potter fans! There’s a rumor that JK Rowling may have finally been persuaded that the vast army of Kindles, NOOKs and iPads should also be sprinkled with some wizarding magic, and the Harry Potter series may actually come to ebook form! According to The Scotsman: The Edinburgh-based writer has an estimated £620m fortune following record-breaking sales of the Harry Potter books and the success of the film franchise, and publishing experts say the e-book rights could be another major money-spinner for her. Liz Thomson, editor of book industry website BookBrunch, said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if the rights for the e-books are sold for £100m. “Experts believe that move Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We have covered the Keyport Slide before and have always been impressed by this new approach to the old-fashioned and outdated keychain. To refresh you memory, the Keyport slide takes your keys and puts them all into a nice, compact rectangular frame. But the Keyport Slide isn’t just about keys. No, the Keyport Slide also has the ability to include a flash drive, a bottle opener, and an LED flashlight. Think of the Keyport Slide as the Swiss Army Knife for keys and a whole lot more. Here’s a video look at it. The new mini-LED has dual batteries that last up to 15 hours. In addition, the Slide comes in a… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It is big. It is fast. It is on the Verizon network. it is the new HTC Thunderbolt and it is today’s Gear Deal. The HTC Thunderbolt is the first phone from Verizon with access to their lightning fast 4G LTE network. The phone features a 1GHz processor and a huge 4.3′ display. It has 8GB of built-in memory and can accept up to 32GB additional via an included SD Card. Of course the phone has cameras too and in this case we are talking a 1.3MP front camera and an 8MP back camera. Of course there are many more bells and whistles. After all, this IS the latest powerhouse Android phone from HTC. The… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Late last year I reviewed the PC version of Supermarket Mania 2, and am currently replaying it on the Mac … and now G5 Entertainment is holding a cool contest that could net you a $50 iTunes Gift Card! Here is the info: Supermarket Mania 2 is about to be released for iPhone and iPad, and we invite everyone to contribute to the launch trailer. Enter our contest and share your idea of the video trailer for the game. The author of the most exciting idea will be selected by G5 Entertainment team and will get a $50 iTunes Gift Card. For inspiration, play Supermarket Mania 2 on PC or Mac Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Here come the iPad 2 cases and, yes, many of them are designed to work with Apple’s SmartCover. The latest to cross the wires comes from accessory maker AViiQ. Their new Smart Case for iPad 2 steps in where Apple’s solution stops by providing excellent protection for the back and sides of the iPad 2. The AViiQ Smart Case for iPad 2 protects Apple’s latest creation with a case made of “rugged plastic encased in a solid aluminum plate anodized to match the colors of the Apple® Smart Cover”. Available in a variety of colors, the Smart Case is designed to protect the iPad 2′s borders and back while not interfering with its connectivity or preventing the use of… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Judie’s and my first meeting at CES 2011 was with Seagate. (We posted about it here.) Toward the end of the visit we came upon a hard drive that was as stylish as it was function. At the time all we were allowed to write about it was this: Concept drive – We also saw a drive that is not yet named but will be out late spring (pictured above). The concept drive is super thin and will be $99.99 for 320. Black for PC. Silver for Mac. Also has premium backup for data security. This is an image of it being held by me in Ls Vegas… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Why buy a laptop when you can get two laptops for the price of one? That’s today’s New Gear Daily Question. That’s right, this deal will get you a powerful 15.6″ Dell Latitude E5510 laptop AND a Dell Mini 10 Netbook. That means you can work on a nicely sized powerful computer at home or the office and then grab the Mini 10 when you need to run. OR You can keep the Latitude E5510 and give the Mini 10 to someone and make their day. Either way you get a great deal. How great is this deal you ask? The Latitude E5510 and Inspiron Mini 10 Netbook have a starting cost of… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When the iPad 2 was released I went to put my original iPad 64GB + 3G on eBay. I was immediately presented with an option to sell it directly and, in the process, pay no shipping or fees. I loved the idea of not having to hassle with an auction and the possibility of being scammed so I accepted the offer. The transaction went through and I was sans iPad 1. My iPad 2 came and I love it. I still had some great accessories for the original iPad though and after a few days, realized I missed using them.  That was when I decided to pick up an inexpensive used 16GB WiFi iPad. I… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Recently I have reviewed the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Elitebook 8440w Mobile Workstation and the Elitebook 2540p, laptops with powerful Core i7 processors, solid graphics systems, a business focus, and a price tag higher than what a typical family would want to pay. So when I had the opportunity to look at an all-in-one system with a list price just over $1000, I was thrilled to get the opportunity – but a little concerned about what I might think about the lower-priced system. The Hype: Capable. Integrated. Designed with enterprise class performance, manageability, and stability in an integrated form. Get a desktop computer, high-definition LCD monitor, webcam and more; the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the most significant iPhone applications I discovered when the App Store first opened was Jott. It was a revolution. I could simply record something on my iPhone and it would send the recording to the Jott servers and return the text in a few minutes. Better still, jott integrated with a growing number of services such as Google Calendar and Toodledo. I loved it and used it all the time. “Who do you want to Jott?” became a familiar phrase that I heard constantly. The service was initially free but eventually went to a paid model. Some people were unhappy, after all they had been… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A few weeks back I posted on how GamersGate was having a four week sale to celebrate its fifth anniversary. Well, those weeks have come and gone … and yet this morning I got a notice of a new sale with more than 50 items 50% off or more, as well as a great variety of pre-order deals! It is insane, and as always a great deal. Check it out: 3 Stars of Destiny – 50% OFF – $9.98 Alexander the Great – 50% OFF- $9.98 Alfa: Antiterror – 50% OFF – $4.98 Arevan: The Bitter Truth – 50% OFF – $6.65 Asguaard – 50% OFF – $14.50 Aveyond – Ean’s Quest – Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! It is now the post-holiday, post-’2010 leftovers’, post 3DS launch period of the year … in other words, the SLOW time! There is really a single game of note – the PC-only Shadow Harvest: Phantom Ops, a third person tactical shooter from some of the folks who brought us the ambitious STALKER games. It looks great and has generated some decent early buzz. And while there isn’t really anything else big getting released, there are a quite a few other releases this week – read on to find out! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Last month Apple released some iPhone 4 commercials that I thought seemed a bit arrogant in tone but solid in actual content. This was the latest in a long-standing tradition of Apple having great marketing that seems to come from just about every direction. Now for the iPad 2, Apple has returned to the thoughtful, introspective, and philosophical approach used before in campaigns such as ‘Think Different’. And this truly shows them ‘thinking different’. Here is the text of the ad: This is what we believe. Technology alone is not enough. Faster, thinner, lighter. Those are all good things, but when technology gets out of the way, everything becomes more delightful, even magical Continue reading on Gear Diary …