I spent a year running, and being the primary writer for, a site devoted specifically to iPhone apps. I remember the mad rush when the App Store first went on line. Populating the database had to be done by hand since the App Store wasn’t easily copyable, and no RSS feeds of new apps were yet available. The process was painful. Copy the app’s information, grab a screen-shot, grab a link to its location in the App Store, put all the data into the site’s database.

I sent the better part of four days of my summer vacation manually putting in all the apps that were there… all 552 of them.

Fast forward less than a year and a half and there are now more than 100,000 apps available in the App Store. That’s a pretty remarkable growth-rate. No, it is down-right unbelievable. It shows that Apple has hit a homerun with the iPhone/App Store combination. It could also, however, be Apple, and the iPhone’s Achelles heal. Continue Reading

Continue Reading

So you have Windows 7 and you are all fired up about installing it on your netbook. The problem is that your netbook doesn’t have a CD or DVD player built in which means that DVD media that Windows 7 comes on is pretty much a coaster. You can solve the problem by popping $80-90 bucks on an external drive, but what if you could make that 4GB USB flash drive do the magic for you? Well you can, and it is pretty straight forward to do. All you need is a 4GB or bigger USB flash drive, a little bit of patience and your Windows 7 media.

Continue Reading

It is not a so-well-kept secret that I travel quite a bit for my day job. While 2009 has seen a slow down in travel for me, I still will easily make my American Airlines Platinum status for the 4th year in a row. As a reminder to everyone: Airline status is not something to be proud of. It means that you spend too much time on airplanes and that you know exactly which seats and rows have power outlets… but I digress. Since September 11, 2001 the single biggest challenge with air travel has not necessarily been the airlines but the security process you have to go through in order to get to your gate. I’m not complaining – security has kept us from having any significant airline issues since 9/11 – but it can be challenging, especially for seasoned travelers.

Normally when you go through the security checkpoint at the airport you are required to remove your laptop from your bag and put it in a seperate tray in order to be x-rayed amongst the other things you have to removed from your person – shoes, belts, etc. For most this is not that big of a deal but for people who have a lot of stuff in their bag along with their computer, it can take a minute or so to get the computer out of the bag and onto the belt. Meanwhile, the seasoned travelers are tapping their toe behind you waiting impatiently.

To help solve this challenge of travel, Skooba Designs has released a wide range of bags they refer to as their Checkthrough series. This series of bags are approved by the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) for allowing your computer to remain in the bag and be x-rayed. It is a tremendous time saver, especially on those days when the airport security is exceptionally busy. Skooba Designs was kind enough to send me the Checkthrough Roller bag for this review and after several trips with it I have to say it is a winner. Not only does it help you get through security checkpoints but it is a roomy and functional roller bag.

The Skooba Checkthrough Roller Bag

Continue Reading

Where were you when you first heard about the now infamous “Balloon Boy” incident? On Thursday, October 15th, at a little past 2 p.m. Central Time, Dan and I were IM’ing when he abruptly told me to turn on CNN.

Once I did, the screen was filled with the image of a large silver balloon speeding and spinning, thousands of feet above the Colorado countryside. The balloon supposedly carried a six year old boy, appropriately named Falcon.

Continue Reading

It started innocently enough.  One morning last week Wayne sent an email asking if any of the writers liked Starbuck’s after he had accumulated a fairly large amount of points — $370 worth — on his own Starbuck’s rewards card.  Then today Carly spotted a great deal on Woot! for a Breville 15-Bar Expresso & Cappuccino Maker for $179.99 (that’s it pictured above).

These messages sparked an entire back and forth coast to coast between what gear we each used to  quench our lust for caffeine.    See what the team is using, and sound off in the comments on what gear you’re using to get the most java-goodness  from those wonderful fresh-roasted beans…

Continue Reading

Earlier in the week I threw out the following question…

What current technology, service or product do you see as totally passé… And why….?

The responses were quite interesting and while there was a good deal of agreement there were also some places where our diverse group parted ways.

Here are some of the answers… Continue Reading

Clinton Fitch is somewhat of a legend in the handheld device world. A long-time Windows Mobile MVP and owner of clintonfitch.com, he has made a name for himself as one of the best, most knowledgeable people in the world of Windows Mobile.

But here is the thing. Technology is always changing. Our device needs are always changing. As a result, no matter how devoted we are to a particular device or platform there may come a time when we open our eyes to something better suited to our current needs. I mean, heck, did I ever think I would be carrying a Blackberry and LIKING IT??

So yes, Clinton has made a change. Continue Reading

Continue Reading

How good is your gear?   Most of the time we become easily enamored by the look of the latest and greatest device.  It’s really only after you start putting your gear through the rigors of daily use that you can really tell how well it’s made — and whether it is something you can truly recommend.  Judie recently reviewed the HP Pavilion dv2 — and even proclaimed she may even (gasp!) move back to Windows from Mac!

Continue Reading

Continue Reading

Today is a pretty cool day for Windows Mobile developers. Today Microsoft has begun accepting submissions to the all new Windows Marketplace!

Starting today, registered developers and ISVs can upload their application, game or widget to the platform and Microsoft will begin the certification process of them according to their published process, policies and guidelines. They are certifying applications on a First In, First Out basis. The certification process takes about 10 business days but you can always check the status of your application online. If for some reason your application does not get certified you will get a detailed explanation of why so you can try it again. The good news is that Microsoft has published all of the guidelines and policies as well as the tool set they will be using. Frankly, there shouldn’t be too many surprises.

Continue Reading

If you haven’t already, please read our Initial Thoughts on the HTC Touch Pro2. That’s where you’ll find a full gallery of Touch Pro2 pictures as well as our unboxing banter. So without further ado…

Drew: The TP2 Rocks!  I haven’t been this excited about a WM phone since the Advantage came out and then I was mollified for quite some time with the TyTN II.  The gorgeous screen, super keyboard, and excellent phone/sound definitely make it a keeper if you are in the corporate world.

Continue Reading

One of the challenges with any MacBook or notebook PC is cooling. While these devices are made to be a bit more heat tolerant than their desktop tower counterparts, they still can overheat which can cause damage or diminish performance. Getting air flowing through the cooling fans and vents on your MacBook or notebook is they key to avoiding potential disaster and the team at Just Mobile have come up with a sleek, stylish and amazingly simple solution for MacBook users. The CB-200 Cooling Bar is an solid, all aluminum bar that you rest the back of your MacBook onto. This lifts it about an inch from your desk surface, providing plenty of space for the cooling fans and vent to work properly. Although designed with the MacBook in mind, the CB-200 works well with any notebook PC as well and it has a hidden benefit that Mac and PC users alike can benefit from while using it.

Continue Reading

Judie: When HTC first sent news of their upcoming Touch Pro2 back in February, the personal note from my HTC contact said “PS: Know you have been waiting for the next Universal for awhile now…”

Heck yeah I have, and that was a bit of a tease if there ever was one!

Sure the radios, memory, processors, screen types – almost everything imaginable have been updated in newer HTC models, but as feature rich and highly spec’d as PDA phones may have been since 2005, I haven’t been able to keep myself from comparing all of them to the form factor perfection I personally found in the HTC Universal. But after waiting so long with no true contender, I’ve just about accepted that the Universal form factor will never return.

With that in mind I have turned a more accepting eye to current devices which reproduce and perfect other features of the Universal that I liked so much – its almost 4″ VGA screen, the excellent keyboard, the option of using tablet or “laptop” mode, its fast processor, its expansion ability, etc., etc.

Now that the Pro2 is becoming available, Clinton and I both have in hand loaners that HTC was kind enough to send; Drew jumped right in and bought his. So in this review you’ll get perspectives from a couple of people who might buy one and from someone who already has.

Is the Pro2 the next Universal? I for one am excited about having the chance to find out…

Continue Reading