It’s no secret that a few of us here at Gear Diary are bag fanatics. Judie’s collection puts mine to shame any day, as does Clinton’s. But for the past few years, I have been a purse fanatic. It’s been my other spendy item other than technology. I haven’t gone crazy; usually I only buy one nice bag a year, almost always from Coach, and maybe a few accessories. They have lasted so much longer than my previous cheapie purchases and I’ve been very happy with the investment. However, I have one problem–I love big bags. I love carrying a stylish bag that can fit my ebook reader, my iPad, my everyday necessities and any other… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

A while back, I reviewed an excellent Cocoon Innovations netbook case with an integrated GRID-IT! Organizer, a feature that I really loved. However, I wished I could have one for bags I already owned because I really liked the way it kept all my items secured in one place. Now, my greatest wish has come true–an individual GRID-IT! organizer! The GRID-IT! is a unique, flexible organizer that basically allows you to secure the smallest of items, like pens or earbuds, or larger items, like phones or chargers, using a series of stretchy elastic straps in what they call an “object retention system.” I am always looking for something to help Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Ever wanted to design your own jewelry but don’t know where to start? Well, you no longer need to pore over the aisles at the craft store–just jump online at gemkitty.com and design your own earrings! Next week GemKitty is introducing their custom earring platform that allows users to customize a pair of earrings with five different styles, two quality metals, and over seventy real semi-precious gemstones. I was able to preview the site and it’s super easy to use–just a few clicks allows you to set your style, select from sterling silver or 14K gold filled findings, and choose the different gemstones for your earrings. The looks are… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Now that the Nook has been around for a little while, some really great cases have started coming out to protect it in style.  When I saw the new lines of cases coming out from JAVOedge, I was immediately intrigued and couldn’t wait to get my hands on them!  Judie’s recent review of the new Croc cases for Kindle 2 only made me more eager to review the Nook cases. JAVOedge was kind enough to send me two cases from their Cherry Blossom Collection to review and keep for my Nook–the Flip Style Case in Twilight Purple, and the Book Style Case in Cocoa–as well as a surprise…a Flip Style Case in Cork!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Photo courtesy of The Purse Hook website Over the past few years, I have fallen in love with higher-end leather goods, specifically pretty (and functional!) purses and bags.  I’ve always been a bit of a purse girl, but I eventually realized that buying one or two nice leather bags a year makes much more sense for me than buying a lot of bags that fall apart on me within 3 to 6 months of carrying them every day.  I started collecting Coach bags one Christmas when I got a particularly nice bonus from work, and it all slid downhill from there.  I have a modest collection now and I consider them an investment–I try to take good care of them so that they will last me for years to come. One of the things I hate is carrying a bag to a restaurant or bar and having no place to put it.  If I am going to spend $200+ on a bag, why would I want to put it on the floor or set it on a gross-looking bar or tabletop?  Enter the Hookette With a Twist purse hook, which has become an always-carry item in my bag whenever I [...]

Not to be outdone by other accessory manufacturers, Proporta has announced three cases perfect for protecting your shiny new iPad when it launches from Apple this March.  The Proporta cases are always stylish and fun, so I’m excited they’re bringing iPad accessories to the table early.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Google Voice and Skype fans rejoice–the newest iPhone SDK has revealed that Apple has lifted the ban on using VoIP over the 3G network!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

During the Gear Diary liveblog of the big Apple iPad announcement today, Joel and I both mentioned that while we love the idea of the iPad, it’s not exactly the eInk killer people are touting it to be–at least for us personally.  … Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Being the gadget freak that I am, I like to have gadgets in the kitchen almost as much as I do in the office or on the go.  I am a big fan of drinking tea (both hot and cold), but often I only want one mug of tea at a time, not a whole pot.  I was looking around at tea flavors I wanted to try when I happened upon the Perfect Teamaker from Teavana.  It seemed like the perfect solution, so I promptly added it to my Christmas list.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I am always excited to see new accessories come out for gadgets that I own and love, so I was very excited to see that JAVOedge has two beautiful new case collections for the Barnes & Noble Nook ebook reader.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Judie: I was recently offered the chance to review Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion, and figuring that I probably wasn’t the only female on the Gear Diary staff who was going through weather-related skin issues, I requested extra samples so that Carly, Jessica and Amy could also give it a try. Since we all have different skin types, and we all have different issues, I thought that it would be good to gather notes from all of us based on our experience with the product. For those of you with absolutely no concern for softer skin without smelling like a perfume factory or breaking out like a pre-pubescent teen, feel free to skip this review. … Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Once again, Barnes & Noble was ill-prepared when it comes to the nook.  Now, don’t get me wrong–I really, really love mine.  Since I got mine on the 8th of December, I’ve read somewhere in the vicinity of twelve books and can’t wait to read more.  But today, when I tried to buy the Sookie Stackhouse 8 book set (a really great deal!) and Under the Dome by Stephen King, my nook let me down for the first time.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

baby, it’s cold outside … This year, Gear Diary has hit several milestones; I wanted to do something super-special to mark the event and thank the writers, other than just sending items from their Amazon Wish Lists which is what I have done in the past. After wracking my brain, I wrote to Scott Jordan, a long time friend and owner of SCOTTEVEST; I asked him what kind of price break he could give me if I ordered jackets in bulk, and his answer was surprisingly do-able. Why go with SeV? The answer for me was simple: they are extremely well made, I love their products, these items hold up over time, I think their products look great, I wanted to support a business that I believe in, and I could get item ordered personalized with the Gear Diary logo! Scott set me up with his custom embroidery guy (Rick from S&R Monogramming), and together they made sure that the Gear Diary writers were perfectly outfitted for the winter weather. After everyone had received their packages, I asked them to send me a picture of them wearing their jackets, along with a few sentences telling what they like — or [...]

Today Barnes & Noble pushed out the first software update (version 1.1.0) to nook owners, an update that promised to speed up the touchscreen, menus, and page refresh rate, add some promised features (like store connectivity), and improve some existing features, plus generally stabilize the operating system.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Editor’s Note: This is a joint review between Adrian and Jessica. Adrian’s comments will be in black, and Jessica’s will be in blue italics Multi-tasking seems to be one of my strong points…work 40 plus hours a week, chase around a toddler, coach high school sports, have a small business, and have family priorities that put me in and out of Dr appointments and hospitals at least once a week…so honestly what else can I add? Oh … let’s throw in mowing the lawn, maintaining the house, and helping my wife with the everyday chores (ok so I duck as many of those as possible). Oh yeah, and my wife has these two fur balls running around the house — guess who gets to clean their litter box? ME! So let’s just say when Dani over at Brilliant Pet offered the ScoopFree Self-Cleaning Litter box for a review, I was well on board, as was one of our other writers Jessica. Here is our adventure.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …