We are huge fans of AUTUM and their sometimes quirky, always awesome, leather goods. So when they come out with something new, we love to bring word to all of you. Yes, their products tend to be on the pricey side, but they are as much works of art as they are usable accessories. Which brings us to their latest item, the Dualist case.

The Dualist is a leather cardholder that will hold 2 to 6 different cards in style. It has the style we have come to know and appreciate and the rivets that are found on many of AUTUM’s products. No, it’s not going to replace your wallet but if you… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

It wasn’t too long ago that I reviewed the Aligata Nude Beauty Big Weekend Bag, and they have just sent their newest offering — the Nude Beauty Medium Travel Bag. I’ll have a full review up after I’ve had some time to actually USE the bag and change its color from the nearly white Nude Beauty to a natural honey patina. But in the meantime, I just had to tell you all about it because it is something that I know would be an appreciated holiday gift for your special someone …

We took a look at the PowerBag Messenger the other day. It combines an incredibly well-designed, strongly constructed bag with the ability to recharge your devices on the go. On almost all counts it thoroughly impresses. And at under $140, it is not much more than a 6000mAh external battery would be on its own. That makes it a great deal in my opinion. The company makes a number of other designs and they were kind enough to also send a PowerBag backpack as well as the messenger. Since the power aspect of the backpack is the same as it is with the messenger bag, I thought we might take a look at the backpack on… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

CES is coming up, and this year we will have the biggest Gear Diary team covering the event ever. Even though CES is more than two months off, it isn’t too early to start thinking about the ins and outs of the week. As we have mentioned previously, one of the biggest challenges at CES is keeping cameras, phones and video recorders charged and usable. The days are long and the tools we use to cover CES are in use from early morning until late at night. Battery cases and external batteries help a great deal but, this year, we’ll have yet another way to keep our devices charged thanks to PowerBag.

PowerBags come… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Even with so many devices going toward the microUSB “standard”, I can’t help but travel with a minimum of three different types of cables — and sometimes more than that. My phone uses microUSB, my iPad has its own Apple connector, and my camera is miniUSB. When packing, I also need to bring along the battery chargers for my camera and MacBook Air, along with a few other miscellaneous doo-dads. You may recall that I reviewed the Skooba Design Cable Stable DLX early last year; while I have found it to be an excellent solution when I need to bring along the whole ‘kit and kaboodle’, there are times when I have wished that it… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

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 ...

Just in case you weren’t one of the million’s of people who heard it this morning, Dan was on  WBAP‘s morning show talking with Brian Estridge about Father’s Day gift ideas. They liked him and his suggestions so much that they played the interview twice! =)

Here’s a tally of the things Dan talked about:

• Yurbuds

• ROKU

• Evernote

• Livescribe Echo

•… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

My Pop (my father-in-law, but since the death of my own Dad about a decade ago, he’s been more like a Dad, and that’s a fact–thanks, Pop!) is a big guy.  I mean, really big.  A former D.I. for the U.S. Army, he’s about 6’3″ and is . . . well, big.  Really big.  So finding stuff for him is sometimes hard.

Well, Fatheadz wants to at least ease the pain when it comes to sunglasses.  They have a whole line of shades for those of us with big cabesas.  The prices are pretty durn reasonable, and they work with you to fulfill your prescription sunglass needs, too.  Because after all, just because you’re a… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

As a 1) Dad who 2) does lots of news items for an awesome tech site (hi, Judie!), I want to take just a second to point out that the number of news items that we receive for Father’s Day is–no way to sugar-coat it–pathetically small compared to the veritable flood of Mother’s Day items.   There’s no question that moms take a lot more of the societal blame, and carry more of the burden, in the child-rearing department.  No question.  But if news items at a blog site are any judge, dads are basically invisible, still in the “cologne and tie” stage as far as recognition goes.  Just sayin’.

Not that I’m bitter.

But… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

With Father’s Day right around the corner and fuel prices causing many to think perhaps of a “staycation” this summer, those looking for a different sort of gift should check out Swann and their new line of RC Indoor Helicopters.

Many ask themselves, “Aren’t remote control helicopters difficult to fly?” Yes they are, or were.

Swann, a company mostly dedicated to security devices, offers a break from the routine with this new line of rechargeable RC Indoor Helicopters. Within minutes of making my tester “flight ready” I was buzzing around the den and terrorizing the cat.

Fun is had in 8-minute chunks — as that is the limit of the onboard… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

My father-in-law still longs for the days of Pleasantville. Too bad for him that Pleasantville wasn’t even Pleasantville! Yes, the “good old days” were old, but they weren’t necessarily any better. And they sure didn’t offer the wide range of gadgets we have all come to rely upon!

So if you are looking for a gift for your father or father-in-law, you MIGHT get them the complete Father Knows Best series on DVD, but maybe you ought to consider one of these instead…

For the iPod nano-loving dad

How would you like to open your beer and soda bottles without having to worry about where those pointy bottle caps land? The ‘Click n Drink’ bottle opener allows you to do just that. Boasting the ability to hold up to 100 bottle caps with its strong magnets, the ‘Click n Drink’ magnetically mounts to metal surfaces or it can be drilled into others.

I’m wondering if it would void our hot tub’s warranty to screw one to its side; if it means being able to pop a bottle of Spaten without worrying about stepping on a cap later, I think it might be worth it!

One of the coolest things about the 6th generation Apple iPod nano is how it can be attached to a strap, transforming it into a watch with benefits. Dan has covered many of the available straps here previously, but these by iWatchz look so fun and colorful that they are worth mentioning for anyone who is looking for a colorful Mother’s Day surprise, a gift for a grad, or simply a cool way to wear their own nano. iWatchz is introducing their new alligator print Timepiece Collection and the Carbon Collection, but I still think their colored rubber ones are the cutest.

With prices from $24.99 to… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

This is my husband’s and my pile of things that needed to be shredded; it started in a drawer, was moved to a shelf, and eventually ended up in a bag under our bed. What’s in it? Everything from those “convenience” checks that credit card companies seem to think we can’t live without, to credit card applications that simply need a signature and mail-back to be approved, to health insurance settlement statements, to all those bit of paper that have numbers, names, addresses and other information that get scribbled down when we are trying to be efficient.

Why were we saving them in the first place? Because the cheap shredder that Kevin and I bought at… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Labels. We get them when we are young. Sometimes we earn them. Sometimes we don’t. Sometimes they are flattering. Often they are not. Labels. Once they are there, they are difficult to shake. Oh, wait, this isn’t about that kind of label is it?

No, this is about those labels that you print up and then attach to items you want easily identified. For example if you are sorting the various cables that go with the various gadgets you have collected over the years labels help you know what is inside each box without even opening it. Or if you have five different wall adapters for a wide assortment of electronics you can put labels… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...