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 don’t like — about SeV products in general. We are all different shapes and sizes, and I thought it would be interesting to not only see how we all looked in our new gear, but also hear what everyone thought about it.

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About a month ago, we were sent the Wizcom Readingpen TS to review. With two middle school children I had some curiosity about how it might help them read easier.

The concept of the pen is simple – scan across a word or sentence. The pen converts the  information to spoken words  and if needed provides the definition, synonyms and Spanish version of the word. This is useful for anyone needing a little extra help with difficult words while reading a book. How does it work in practice?

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Amber Alert GPS is a tiny matchbox sized GPS device used to track the movement of your child. According to the manufacturer you slip the GPS into your child’s backpack (or other article that stays with them) and can then track their location for up to 24 hours. There’s also several  interesting features like speed, temperature and remote audio monitoring that are offered as well. For the last few weeks I’ve been putting this to the test and using it to track my kids. Here’s what I found. Continue Reading

The Marathon Walker from Oregon Scientific is a pedometer that measures the distance (steps or KM/Miles) you walk  or run. Unlike other more basic pedometers the Marathon Walker uses accelerometer technology. This means you’ll obtain a reading whether you clip it to your belt or slip it into a pocket. I’m an avid walker so when the company sent us one to test  I jumped at the chance.

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For $35 shipped (note that LogicBuy shows this as available for $25 but the price appears to have risen $10) it’s hard to beat this Jensen iPod Digital Music System for casual users. The reviews are somewhat mixed on the quality but if you have kids who have iPods who have  holiday wish lists that have “iPod sound system” on them  – this could be worth a look. According to the specifications this is compatible with any of the iPod’s that dock including the Touch (if the iPhone fits you’ll likely have to manually put it into airplane mode to avoid interference).

You’ll enjoy both FM and AM radio reception, along with digital music from your iPod or other MP3 player, and a full-featured alarm clock, too. Any dockable iPod fits into the docking port on top of the unit, and charges while you listen. Non-dockable iPod models, along with other digital music players and portable CD players connect through the auxiliary line-in jack and included patch cable.

JENSEN Docking Digital Music System for iPod – $35 shipped via GearSponsor LogicBuy

It’s amazing how much use you’ll find for a Netbook. Despite buying a Netbook thinking I’d use it only to  browse the web from my couch I’ve used my Acer Aspire One to initiate remote desktop sessions, download files, test Windows updates – and do some couch surfing. The battery life of Netbooks  is usually better than more powerful (and power hungry) laptops. While the processor, memory and speed generally won’t support crunching huge spreadsheets Netbooks can be useful for situations where you don’t need the full horsepower of a regular laptop. GearSponsor LogicBuy has found a deal on the Lenovo S10-2 Netbook that brings the cost to an affordable $275. Specifications include: Atom N270 1.6GHz processor, 10.1″ WSVGA LED LCD screen ; 1GB DDR2 RAM ; 160GB hard drive and Windows XP Home SP3. If you’re not quite ready for a new laptop but would like a small lightweight device for web browsing and light Windows application work – this could be your answer.

Lenovo S10-2 – $275 via GearSponsor LogicBuy

Lenovo is just starting to ship their 11.6-inch Lenovo IdeaPad U150 LED-backlit Laptop (690968U). It comes pre-loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS, Pentium Dual-core SU4100 1.3GHz; 3GB DDR3; 11.6″ HD WXGA LED. GearSponsor LogicBuy spotted a coupon code (USPBANNERS) that lets you buy it for $699 – 10% off coupon = $629.10 plus FREE shipping. The newest U-series ultra-portable from Lenovo is 0.75″ thin and under 3lbs. To get this deal follow the link below and be sure to let us know how you like it!

Lenovo IdeaPad U150 $629

Many people shy away from off-brand accessories. Not me. I’ve bought chargers and cases and all manners of doo-dads for my gadgets from street vendors in New York for dirt cheap prices. And most importantly my gadgets have lived through the use of non-OEM approved devices. Obviously that’s not true for all accessories and purchasing overpriced accessories what the manufacture recommends is certain a good idea – for the manufacturer. But there are times when off-brand accessories can save you a ton of money. Take for example a couple deals that GearSponsor Logicbuy has pointed out. Accessory site Handheld Items has this 8800 mAh lithium-ion batter for $41 (after 30% coupon) and a 2-in-1 car charger (micro-USB) plus extra cigarette lighter outlet for a little over $6. Use coupon code 30bboff for 30% off BlackBerry accessories. I also found the 30% off worked on at least the other two items I mentioned above – so have fun exploring and saving.

Handheld Items via GearSponsor Logicbuy

Still on the fence about when you’ll upgrade your Windows desktop computer? Today’s hardware deal  could be the upgrade you’ve waited for. It’s an HP Elite e9250t Core i5 Desktop PC. Windows 7 64 bit is pre-installed, 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4350 video graphics, 7.1ch Audio; DVD+/-RW LightScribe. Inside is 6GB DDR3 RAM; 500GB Hard Drive; Gigabit Ethernet. Free 15 month Norton Internet Security subscription is included. Add to cart & apply coupon code SVNY56474 to get the final $775 price.

HP Pavilion Elite e9250t – $775 via GearSponsor LogicBuy

I stopped into my local Best Buy this afternoon and was amazed at the great selection  of prepaid cellular phones. As recently as a year ago the prepaid phone aisle was limited to cheap plastic throwaways. Fast forward to now, and the shelves are lined with current model BlackBerry and Motorola phones available on no contract prepaid plans.   Boost Mobile has been one of the leaders in selling affordable prepaid phones that don’t make you ashamed to use them in public.  Last week we looked at the i465 (great texting device and solid call quality). This week we’re looking at the Boost Mobile i9. It’s essentially a Motorola Razr fitted with the walkie talkie feature that Boost is known for. What’s amazing about this phone is that it’s one of the thinnest flip phones that Boost has ever offered. Continue Reading

Dell Small Business has a real steal for anyone that’s in the market for a smallish high-def LCD TV. GearSponsor LogicBuy notes  the Samsung 2494SW 24-inch 1080p HDMI LCD Monitor is going for $259.99 – plug in the 20% off coupon code: K9K2253HCF96V2 (expires 11/11 or after first 1,500 uses) = $207.99 plus FREE shipping. That’s about $80 cheaper than what I could find on Amazon.

Samsung 2494SW 24-inch 1080p HDMI LCD Monitor

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I’m a big fan of getting outside and walking. I find that listening to music or podcasts helps to pass the time, so like most people with MP3 players I always take my iPhone or Zune HD with me. I have recently started carrying my Zune HD because I love Zune Pass, which provides for nearly unlimited music downloads and automatically creates artist mixes – even from music I don’t own. WaterField’s new suede jacket is the perfect fit for my Zune HD. It’s thin enough to act as a shield and fits inside other WaterField cases. Continue Reading

Amazon has this Garmin Nuvifone G60 available for $99 after the obligatory 2 year service agreement. The phone’s primarily for Garmin lovers who prefer the interface of their beloved GPS device over  competing smartphone’s with similar (free) services. The 3.5-inch anti-glare, resistive touchscreen display is big enough to easily see your maps – and there’s 65K colors and 272 x 480 WQVGA resolution. Given that some of the early Droid reviews have given meh reviews to the map feature maybe the Garmin will have a fighting chance competing against free.

Garmin Nuvifone G60 via Gearsponsor Logicbuy

This 42″ LG Plasma TV is an intriguing deal for a few reasons. First it includes a Panasonic Blu-ray player and hook-up kit – both expensive options that many buyers will need. Secondly it includes free shipping- order it from here just to watch the UPS guy lug all 112 lbs up your steps. The site claims that if purchased separately you could expect to pay over $800 (Amazon lists the TV alone at $605).

42″ LG 42PQ30 Plasma TV with Panasonic Blu-ray and hook-up kit – $619 via GearSponsor Logicbuy

According to the press release the Freehands Gloves for Techies were created after their designer grew tired of answering his iPhone with his nose. This year the company has added models of gloves that look trendy and you won’t be embarrassed to wear. There are 7 men’s styles and 5 women’s to choose from. Each glove is insulated for winter wear. Pricing ranges from $18 to $40.

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