Judie: Our saga began when Dan and I received HTC Titans at a Microsoft sponsored dinner while attending CES; it’s hard to believe that on the 11th it will have been one month ago. You can catch up on our previous posts before starting with this one by clicking the following links:

Considering the Move from an iPhone 4S to Windows Phone Titan

Comparing the iPhone 4s Hardware to the HTC Titan and Dipping into the Windows Phone User Interface

In that month, my iPhone has never left my gadget drawer. Although I can think of a few times I wished I had it – mainly when writing up a cool accessory I had just discovered that was ‘iPhone only’ or when feeling the absence of a favorite app — not once have I missed it enough to retrieve it from the drawer. That’s better than I can say for any other phone running any other operating system that I have tried in the past … but I’m not sure if I’m ready to list the 4S on eBay just yet!

Image taken with the Bloggie Live

Judie received a Bloggie Live video recorder last week at CES and we brought it along with us to take some images and video while at Hoover Dam. As the video demonstrates, this diminutive Bloggie Live takes some amazing video and is incredibly easy to use.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

The only thing bigger today than extreme sports, is extreme sports videos. The internet is full of amazing video footage of talented and sometimes crazy people hitting the big trick or conquering a huge slope. We seem to have begun to video everything we do and it often produces some pretty entertaining footage. Myself and several buddies have begun filming our deer and turkey hunts, editing them into full episode, high definition presentations of our adventures. In fact, the ability to film my own hunts is something I have struggled with using my current set up. Dragging a tripod by myself out to a tree stand or ground blind is not always possible while… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

We start the week with a Gear Deal on a 15.6″ Dell XPS 15 Core i5-2430M 2.4GHz laptop. This deal has the laptop come bundled with a Canon ELPH 100 HS Digital Camera, Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and Premiere Elements 10. The base configuration of this XPS 15 laptop includes 6GB RAM, a 750GB 7200RPM Hard Drive, 1GB GeForce GT 525M graphics, a DVD burner, Wireless-N connectivity, JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS and more. The bundle would normally sell for $1,157.99 but after all the savings our Gear Sponsor found are applied the final price is just $799.99. Details and ordering information can be found here.

Gear Deal… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

What’s better than getting great Cyber Monday Deals? We’ve for some awesome deals from Abe’s of Maine that you can take advantage of without having to leave your house. Take a look…

Get this $29.95 tripod for just $9.95. Buy it here.

Save 36% on the Canon EOS Rebel T2i Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm IS Lens. Buy it now.

Save 53% on the Lumix DMC-FH25K 16.1MP Digital Camera, Wide… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Images: GoPro

Ever wonder how producers are able to capture those awesome video shots that seem to put you right in the action? Simple, they have the right equipment (and, of course they eye and technical skill.) One such tool, the HD HERO, is a cool little camera that came on the market a few years ago and it has really taken the action and adventure world by storm.

Developed by GoPro, this very compact unit is capable of recording video and still shots in high-definition and, while not the only sports camera on the market, it is the king when it comes to capturing all the best action.

The HD HERO line of cameras are offered in packages tailored for the activity they will be used for such as Motorsports, Surf and Helmet, and the quality from this little camera is simply amazing.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Here’s a great Gear Deal on a 15.6″ Dell Inspiron 15R Core i5-2330M that includes two awesome bonuses. The Inspiron 15r has a 2.2GHz Dual-core processor and includes 6GB RAM, a 500GB Hard Drive, Wireless-N, a DVD burner, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS and more. To sweeten this deal you’ll also get a Canon ELPH 100 HS Camera (Grey), 36-months McAfee SecurityCenter and Adobe Elements 9.0 Photoshop and Premiere. Normally this bundle would be $777.99 but after all the savings our Gear Sponsor has found you can get it all for just $599.99 and it will even ship for free.

Gear Deal: Dell Inspiron 15r 15.6″ with Canon ELPH 100 HS Camera and Adobe Elements

From the Editorial Staff of Gear Diary: Is there a lover of leather in your life? If so, here are five gifts with which you can’t go wrong.

The Orbino Padova 2 Crocodile iPad 2 Case: Yeah, at $689.00 this iPad 2 case is a splurge but it is handcrafted from Crocodile and is a stunner. Judie has one and loves it. Here’s a video of the case. Gorgeous isn’t it? If that is too rich for you, then you can go with a Padova for iPad 2 made from standard leather. It costs $209.00 and is also a gorgeous case you or a loved one will use proudly… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Have you ever watched the show Hoarders? I can’t really say that it is a guilty pleasure, because I usually watch it with a mixture of horror and fascination. Some of the houses aren’t really that bad when compared to the others (e.g. – no dead animals or animal waste inside the home, house isn’t rotting and about to be condemned, adult health services aren’t about to be called, etc.), but some of them … oh my.

We do DVR all the new episodes and when we have time to watch, I’m not ashamed to say that it is with much mental check-listing, “Does our shed look like that?” “No.” “Good!” If anything, the show is a great motivator; we watch an episode, and I start thinking about my review shelf and gadget closet … and then we start having more give-aways on Gear Diary. See? You all should be glad that I watch it!  But as usual, I digress.

It never fails that when we are watching an episode, one of the two “hoarders” featured will have either HSN (Home Shopping Network) or QVC (Quality, Value, Convenience) boxes piled up in one of their stacks of “stuff”. I’ve made the comment to Kev more than once that both shopping networks must hate that show, since those boxes are definitely not a good product placement. It’s easy to forget that before the internet became something “everyone” used to price match and shop in real time without leaving home, HSN and QVC were the insomniac shopper’s drug of choice. I suspect that for many, they still are.

Negative images aside, shopping from home is big business. People tune in and watch the hosts or hostesses on the shopping channels talk about (and prompt sales for) everything from makeup to clothing, to furniture, to patio accessories, to electronics … and more! If you are a secret home shopping junkie, then you’ll likely notice a couple of new cameras from a familiar brand making an appearance; Vivitar has just launched the XVN-5 ultra compact high-definition camcorder with 5x optical zoom and the VS529 camera with 16-megapixels and 5x optical zoom, and they are exclusively available on HSN.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

I’m a big fan of Sony’s Cyber-shot cameras. I’m also a fan of saving money. Today’s Gear Deal brings us both.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V/B features a 16.2 Megapixel resolution, a 16x Optical Zoom and accepts SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/PRO HG-Duo Card Slot. Normally $399.99 with this deal you can get $120.99 in instant savings.  That brings the price down to $279. It will ship for free and there is no sales tax in most states. Note: May need to register for Free in order to see this deal on BuyDig. Details and ordering can be found here.

Gear Deal: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V/B 16.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Camera via LogicBUY.

&nbsp… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

If you have been thinking about getting an HD camcorder this Gear Deal is for you. Our Gear Sponsor gave us the headsup that you can save up to 50% on a number of different Panasonic Digital Camcorders.

Panasonic HDC-TM40K Camcorder: Was $399.99 but is now $189.99

Panasonic HDC-TM41H Camcorder: Was $379.99 but is now $189.99

Panasonic HCD-SD80K Camcorder: Was $449.99 but is now $289.99

Panasonic HCD-TM80K Camcorder: Was $499.99 but is now $289.99

Check out all the deals and get the coupon codes over on our Gear Sponsor’s Deal Page.

Gear Deal: Panasonic: Get up to 50% off select Panasonic HD 1080p Digital Camcorders via… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Today’s Gear Deal brings us the Nikon COOLPIX P300 12.2 CMOS Digital Camera. The COOLPIX P300 has a 4.2x f/1.8 NIKKOR Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and Shoots full HD 1080p Video. In addition, it features 4-way VR Image Stabilization System, has a 3″ Color Display and much more. Normally selling for $329.95, our Gear Sponsor gave us the heads up on a deal that will knock $100 off the price. That brings the final price down to just $229.95 and it will ship for free. Details and ordering can be done here.

Gear Deal: Nikon Coolpix P300 12.2MP Digital Camera w/4.2x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom-NIKKOR Glass Lens via LogicBUY

I have to admit that many items I review do not receive much thought after I post their story, but after spending a short time with this new FishEyes Rod and Reel With Underwater Video Camera I realized here was an item with much broader usage.
Sure, this is a unique product that every father needs to bring along on a fishing trip with the kids to enhance their experience while you do your best Bill Dance or Jimmy Houston impression, but I began seeing other opportunities for FishEyes.

While it really only looks in one direction (down) as I lowered the camera into the water I thought to myself this would be a great device… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Vivitar has announced a new digital HD pocket video camera with a neat trick up its sleeve. The 690 HD digital pocket video camera is designed to shoot video underwater.

The Vivitar 690 HD offers “waterproof features with a built-in microphone and speaker for your underwater adventures”. It also has an SD memory card slot which makes it super easy to share the videos once taken.

The camera includes software so you can easily uploaded to Facebook, Myspace, Flickr, Picasa Albums, Photobucket, Youtube etc.

It even has a 4x zoom. The Vivitar 690 has a $59.99 MSRP and you… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...