In Gear Chat 14 Larry and Dan talk about the new Kindle… and why we ordered them. We also talk about Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 and, of course, iPhone and iPads.

Intro Music- Lean On Me- Sounds From the Ground Solarstone’s Chill Out Remix…

The iTunes App Store has given rise to a host of new companies all vying to create the next huge App Store success. One of the best is Readdle, the developer behind such apps as ReaddleDocs for iPad, OneDisk, Flash Drive and Take A Note.
As they explain-
In August 2007, Readdle was the first to provide iPhone users a document reader and attachment saver a full year before the official iTunes App Store had launched. In 2010, Readdle still continues to expand upon the iOS platform by releasing new products for Apple iPhone users and opening potential to a growing Apple [...]

Scosche’s flipSYNC Micro & Mini USB 2.0 Charge and Sync Cable is a super handy little gadget. It hangs out on your key ring until you need to charge something that takes a USB to mini or micro-USB. And when you do, you’ll be glad you have it with you. Yup, thanks to the flipSYNC you’ll never have to stress out because you need to charge something but can’t because you don’t have access to a cable.
It is small. It is handy. And one is going to our reader arvindr
The flipSYNC Micro & Mini USB 2.0 Charge and Sync Cable [...]

Yesterday’s Music Mania Giveaway was the iWave: Gravity Speaker System
The Gravity Speaker is a “Stylish portable plug-and-play speaker works with any audio device”. It features…
A unique aux input plays music from any audio device; works with all iPod models
A convenient design and handle allow for easy portability
It runs on 4 AA batteries or DC adapter (both not included)
Available in Silver, Blue, Pink, Purple, Red and Black, it has an MSRP of $24.99. It can be ordered from iWave’s web site but we had one to give away.
And it is going to our reader… John Carroz!
Congrats John.
And the next giveaway… coming [...]

The iPad is a runaway hit. We all know that. We use it at our desks. We use it in the kitchen. We use it in the living room. We use it everywhere. And it’s lack of a built-in stand is, at times, a pain. Let’s face it, you don’t want, or can’t, always hold the 1 1/2 pound device.
Fortunately there are a growing number of excellent options out there. And those ranks just grew by one with the announcement of the UpStand from Just Mobile.

As The Company Explains-
The UpStand™ will float your iPad at just the right height for [...]

Speck’s PixelSkin for iPhone 4 may add a bit of bulk to the iPhone 4’s sleek thin design, but in the process it offers great protection to the back, sides, top and bottom of the phone. It offers such good protection that it is the case I am using when I do my C25K runs.
The PixelSkin for iPhone 4 is available in Black, Pink and Purple. It can be ordered directly from Speck’s website for an MSRP of $24.95.
We had one to give away and it will be going to our reader… Melanie Lopez.
Congrats Melanie and, as always, thanks to [...]

Today’s Gear Deal isn’t one item. It isn’t two items. No, today’s deal is actually today’s DEALS… a 4-day sale on select video games and accessories. One of them… the first ever discounted XBOX 360 Elite Slim 250GB Console!!!
The discounts are huge and can save you up to 45% on some great gaming entertainment. Among the key deals…
The XBOX 360 Elite Slim 250GB + Madden NFL 11 is normally #350 but is available for $319.
The Wii Summer 2010 Bundle with Wii Remote/MotionPlus is normally $200 but is now $169.
The XBOX 360 Wireless Network Adapter is normally $90 but is available [...]

My iPad is with me pretty much all the time these days. It’s rare for me to carry my MacBook Pro out and about anymore since I can accomplish pretty much everything that I need to on a device that weighs a pound and a half and runs for up to 10 hours or so instead of a 4 1/2 pound machine that gets significantly shorter battery life. That means I need the right bag to carry my iPad. If I’m going to carry the iPad though, its high degree of portability means I certainly don’t want a huge heavy [...]

We have nine of iWave’s music products to give away. Among them are headphones, speaker systems and more. And we’ll give away one each day for the next week. (That means two a day a few times so watch Twitter and Facebook too!)
Today’s Music Mania Giveaway… the iWave: Gravity Speaker System The Gravity Speaker is a “Stylish portable plug-and-play speaker works with any audio device”. It features…
A unique aux input plays music from any audio device; works with all iPod models
A convenient design and handle allow for easy portability
It runs on 4 AA batteries or DC adapter (both not included)
Available [...]

A survey just out shows that 73 percent of adults plan to use a computer or Wi-Fi-connected device while traveling this summer. No surprise there. It goes on to note that nearly half of those vacationers plan to access the Internet through their host’s home network! This according to a consumer survey conducted by Opinion Research for Cisco’s Consumer Products group. Here are the survey results…
* 59 percent of adults plan to use a computer or Wi-Fi device while visiting family and friends this summer, and 37 percent said they will tap into their host’s wireless network to access [...]

The AViiQ: Portable Laptop Stand is described as “World’s thinnest stylish laptop stand”. And it just might be since it folds down to ¼” for easy storage and portability. The AViiQ
offers…

An optimal ergonomic angle that reduces strain on your wrist and allows air to flow underneath, dissipating heat from the laptop thus improving battery life and computing efficiency
It is designed to improve visibility, decrease screen glare, and maximize productivity
It is made from German-made Hylite patented material provides a flexible weightless solution that is extremely durable
It folds flat for easy storage access in any laptop bag with a weight of a [...]

Today’s Gear Deal is all about fun. I love my Wii and am enjoying the many ways the gaming console has gotten better and better since I first got it a year and a half ago. (Can you say Netflix streaming???) This bundle lets you get a complete Wii setup and, thanks to our Gear Sponsor, you can get it for less.
The bundle includes a Wii game console (black), a Wii remote controller (black) with Wii remote jacket, a Nunchuck controller (black), a Wii MotionPlus accessory (black), 1-wired sensor bar, 1-power cord, 1-standard composite cable and 1-console stand. And so [...]

Voice-recognition on the Mac has gotten far better since MacSpeech Dictate began using Dragon NaturallySpeaking as the engine for the transcription process. Still, MacSpeech lags behind Dragon with regard to both features and transcription accuracy. And that was the case for Dragon 10. Now Nuance has announced the release of Dragon 11. Dragon 11 is 15% more accurate than Dragon 10 (which was already phenomenal) and it boasts a host of new user-friendly interface tweaks that make it easier than ever to use Dragon’s extensive feature set as well as new abilities to control what you do and how you [...]

Vulkano is positioning itself as “the next-generation live TV place shifting, time shifting and streaming device for smartphones and other devices”. The system makes it possible to take the home TV experience anywhere and by anywhere they mean… anywhere. When connected to a set-top box and a TV the Vulkano brings video to a host of devices including Android, Blackberry, iPhones, iPads, Macs and PCs. Best of all, when someone is accessing video remotely users can still experience their content (TV channels, videos and photos) on whichever screen they want. As the company explains -
TV set-top boxes are commonplace [...]

When I was away on vacation LogicBUY had a great deal on a large LCD monitor. The deal was so good that I immediately ordered one. It was waiting for me when I got home and I am now using it as an extension of my iMac. I love it! Well today’s Gear Deal is on another large high-definition monitor, the HP 2310m.
The 2310m is a 23″, 1080p display with a 3ms response time, 40000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio, BrightView technology and an integrated speaker.For connectivity it offers VGA, DVI-D (with HDCP), and HDMI. The 2310m has an MSRP of $269.99 [...]

Urbanears’ Plattan Headphones are a “medium-size fashionable, functional, and stylish” headphones. As the company explains…
We designed Plattan to be the perfect classic headphone, utilizing innovative functions and performance with today’s technology. It is a full size headphone allowing for rich, secluded sound. You can fold it down to the size of your fist for maximum mobility. Plattan also comes with a “zound plug” on the earcap, allowing for a friend to plug in and enjoy your music.
The headphones feature a custom microphone and is remote compatible with the iPhone and Nokia, HTC and Blackberry phones. It comes with two extra [...]

Well what do we have here? I’ve been buried in meetings all day so I haven’t gotten a chance to keep up on the news but one of my students just emailed me an article from today’s NYTimes (thanks Zack!) that has some great news for iPhone owners. Yup, new government rules have just made jailbreaking your iPhone in the US completely and totally legal.
As is often the case with rulings such as this, the new decision was not made as a result of a specific case regarding the iPhone but as one of a number of new exemptions from [...]

At long last Apple has released a standalone trackpad that brings the MacBook Pro controller to your iMac, Mac Mini and Mac Pro but goes one better by almost doubling the size of the trackpad. As the Apple store notes-
Magic Trackpad gives you a whole new way to control what’s on your Mac desktop computer. When you perform gestures, you actually interact with what’s on your screen. You feel closer to your content, and moving around feels completely natural. Swiping through pages on screen is just like flipping through pages in a magazine, and inertial scrolling senses the momentum in [...]

The Moshi is “The first ‘listening clock’ that allows you set the time and alarm by your voice alone”. The clock is activated by user saying “Hello Moshi” so there is no need to push any buttons. The clock responds to 12 voice activated commands: time, set alarm, today’s date, temperature, and more. It features snooze, 3 sounds for alarm and sleep, volume control, and night-light.
The Moshi Voice Control Alarm Clock has an MSRP $39.99 and is available at Bed Bath & Beyond, Dillard’s, Brookstone and www.moshilifestyle.com.
We had one to give away and that Moshi VC Alarm Clock is going [...]

Today’s Gear Deal brings us a the highly rated Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard. This isn’t your run of the mill keyboard… not by a long shot. No, with this keyboard…
You’ve got easy access to all sorts of information—both in- and out-of-game—including game stats, system information, VOIP communication data, and more.You get more intel with GamePanel.
You also get…
Six fully-programmable G-keys let you perform single keystrokes or complex macros. You can even create macros on the fly, without pausing the action
But there is more… Illuminated keys offer three brightness levels, channels let mouse, headset and other cables pass under the keyboard to [...]